Member Reviews
100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons is a wonderful YA debut.
Tessa, the main character, is blind after a car accident and while doctors are hopeful her sight will return there is no guarantee. In line with her age and character, this causes her to retreat from the world until Weston pulls her out of her shell. The characters reactions/decisions can seem a bit predictable, they are two 16 year olds that are still figuring things out. Overall, I found this novel to be an enjoyable YA read.
“100 Days of Sunlight” is a beautiful, inspiring, young adult novel about two teenagers, Tessa and Weston. Tessa was in a car accident causing her to temporarily lose her vision, and we soon learn Weston has to overcome adversity of his own. The two teens form a relationship and help one another in ways they never thought possible.
This is a book that will warm your heart, and you will not want to put it down-I finished it in a day. I will definitely recommend this book to my 8th graders next year for their independent reading project. This novel is a story of love, family, hope, and optimism. It inspires you to push through hard times and rise above the things that bring you down, a definite 5-star read!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
I will start off my review with a disclaimer: despite being smack dab in the middle of the target age range for young adult fiction . . . YA is SO not my thing. That being said, I did still enjoy 100 Days of Sunlight at its core, even if the genre may not be my favorite ever.
First off, that cover! Well done, Ms. Emmons! It's stunning! I feel like so often indies cheap out when it comes to cover design, but it's clear Emmons put a lot of time and thought into her cover, and for that, I give her kudos.
Let's get onto characters. Y'all. Weston is adorable. I want him for a little brother! I loved his humor, his "arrogance," his optimism and take-whatever-life-throws-at-you-with-joy attitude. This dude is amazing. (Despite his potty mouth . . .) He was definitely my favorite character. Tessa, also, was a very well-rounded character, and while I struggled to relate to her and the way she handled certain things, nonetheless I think a lot of people will relate and empathize with her. The supporting characters of Weston's brothers (adorable!), and Tessa's grandparents and friends were a sweet addition.
The storyline, while not fast-paced, moved along at just the right pace and kept my interest from beginning to end. Emmon's writing style is unique and enjoyable. She tackles some tough topics in this book, and I think she did a pretty decent job doing so.
All that being said, there were some aspects of 100 Days of Sunlight that I did not like.
For one, the language. I know there's a lot of differing opinions, even among Christians, whether or not language is appropriate in fiction. And we don't need to go into my opinions on that right now. But for me, in this book, most if not all of the swearing was SO unnecessary. And there was a lot of it. More than I expected, which was disappointing. And this is being marketed as secular fiction (to my knowledge), so that gives it a little more leeway in my opinion, but still, there was just. so. much. swearing. That took away greatly from my enjoyment of this book.
My other main complaint, and this coupled with the swearing is what docked a star plus off my rating. The romance. Okay, okay, I know I am largely in the majority with this, but I. don't. like. teen. romance. There. I said it. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for a sweet romance storyline, but I just don't do teen romance. So, considering the fairly prominent romantic storyline in 100 Days, there's another reason I didn't enjoy it as much. Honestly, I think this would have been that much more unique if the relationship between Tessa and Weston was kept platonic. There are boatloads of YA romances out there, but it's rare to find a YA WITHOUT romance. But again, I don't know if that's a negative as much as just my thoughts. If you do enjoy teen romances, then I'm sure you will enjoy 100 Days.
All in all, I think 100 Days of Sunlight is a very promising debut, and I am excited to see where Emmons will go next with her writing career! This author shows a lot of promise. If you love contemporary YA, teen romance, deep storylines, witty characters, and WAFFLES, definitely check out 100 Days of Sunlight!
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for promotional purposes from Netgalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
This story was beautiful from the beginning to the very end.
I thought it was a real page turner and I couldn't wait to see how it would all end.
The story was heartfelt and I could "see" and feel the characters with their struggles.
The author did a superb job of creating some fantastic characters that were believable and she really brought them to life for me.
No hesitation in giving this one 5 stars - I loved it and cannot recommend it highly enough
What if you couldn’t see? What if someone couldn’t see you? Does it change how you judge people, judge the world? 100 Days of Starlight is a teenage love story, but it is also a story about resilience and learning to get back up when knocked down by life.
A car crash leaves Tessa temporarily blind. Now Tessa refuses to write her poetry or leave the house, so her grandparents place an ad for a helper. Weston sees the ad at his father’s paper just before it’s pulled from publication and decides Tessa is someone he can help. As a double amputee, the idea of someone getting to know him without seeing him is very appealing. At first reluctant to work with Weston, Tessa pushes him away in every way she can, but he doesn’t give up - determined to show her that life is about more than what she can see.
The chapters, split evenly between Weston and Tessa, focus almost entirely on their interactions. We don’t learn a lot about their lives outside of what is happening between the two of them - Tessa, mostly because nothing else is happening. Fortunately, half of Weston’s chapters take us back three years ago to the time of his accident and subsequent duel amputation, filling in backstory and giving readers a better idea of his life and motivations.
The first person narration places readers directly alongside the main characters. It also gives readers direct access to their thinking and, sometimes false, ideas. Tessa’s thoughts about being blind and how depressed that makes her, how she thinks that makes her pathetic are not exactly inspired or uplifting. Nor does it reflect in any way the true strength and abilities of those with visual impairment. 100 Days of Sunlight is not a book that starts out by promoting an ‘I can do anything, this doesn’t change my life’ attitude. Just the opposite in fact. Tessa is sad, whiney, and yes, while I understand it’s hard, it takes her some time and lots of help from Weston to come around to a more positive way of thinking. This book has to start with a sad, whiney character because that’s what gives us the character growth.
Weston is sort of a boy wonder. Positive, a great brother, strong and determined. His chapters reveal his doggedness and desire to take the hard road. He did, at times, sound like a therapy room’s motivational poster, but there is no denying his great attitude.
100 Days of Sunlight, with themes of positive attitude, acceptance and resilience woven throughout, is a fun teenage romance.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
100 Days of Sunlight! A very cute and quick read. First, the book cover art and the color is what caught my eye. Which I’m sure is what the author was trying to do, and doing it herself... amazing job! The book description HOOKED me. I knew it was a book I had to read. The good that I liked about it is the characters stories, It makes the characters more mature for their age, especially Weston. I’ll have to admit that Weston wasn’t a favorite character of mine, but I had to see how he dealt everything at the end. The downside, in my personal opinion was that the whole story felt very very rushed. It makes sense because of...100 days. But I wish there was a little more going on. Really good story and amazing job to the authors first novel!
This was a sweet book filled with hope and the reminder that you can see a lot even when you can't see ... when you choose to.
Emmons pulls us into the little moments of life that could be enjoyed when using to all the senses, which most of us miss out on because we're so focused on those in front of us and how they see us or what they think of us. It's a way of looking out and drinking in every bit of beauty rather than expecting others to give us drinks, in a way.
Re the love story, yes, it's totally predictable and the guy is a bit too good to be true, but it doesn't get in the way of a teenage girl growing up and looking beyond herself to grow into the person she really is. Worth reading.
100 Days of Sunlight is a quick, easy read that left me smiling. This contemporary YA novel tells the story of Tessa, a homeschooled blogger that is left (temporarily) blind after a terrible car accident. She meets Weston, who also experienced a terrible accident and loss of his own, and together they come to understand what it means to be happy. The story line has a nice flow (with flashbacks to Weston's life before Tessa) and is full of hope, despair, acceptance, friendship, love, and family.
I can see teens gobbling this one up! Great debut novel from Abbie Emmons!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this title.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.
It was amazing.
It's one I'll be reading again and again; I feel so fortunate to have read it.
Weston is the perfect character for this story. His experiences have made him grow up, and yet he is still a funny mischievous teenager. His story is tragic, and born out of an accident, as some tragedies are. The fact that he is able to face life the way he does makes everyone else's problems pale in significance. The additional side characters (the family on both sides) are so supportive it brought tears to my eyes on more than several occasions.
Tessa is a perfect match for him. The way she's acting is exactly how someone in her situation would. How these two grow together and become familiar is just beautiful.
I savoured every moment of getting to know these two.
This was such a wholesome book and a well-done debut.
I really enjoyed the male lead, Weston. He was such a kind, uplifting, motivational character. And on top of all that, he has such a witty personality that you can't not love him. Tessa was a bit less likable, in my opinion, but it's understandable due to her situation. I did feel that things progressed a bit fast between the two. Tessa switched from hating him to liking him a little too quickly, making the first half of the book feel somewhat uneventful. If there was a longer period of time spent cultivating her feelings, I think this book would've been stronger.
It was a great decision to incorporate two characters in different stages of dealing with their disabilities. Weston has lived with his for years, has overcome so many obstacles, and is extremely inspirational throughout the story. On the other hand, Tessa has just become blind. She's struggling with every aspect of losing that part of herself and needs someone who understands what that feels like. Being an able-bodied person, I don't have the best insight on this, but it felt that disability was dealt with respectfully and that the book was very informative.
There was a lack of conflict throughout the novel, and that did make some parts feel as if they dragged. I also think that more time could've been spent developing underlying themes (such as returning to the church) and secondary characters (like Tessa's grandparents).
Overall, I think this was a great debut and I'll definitely be reading Emmon's future works. I'm really thankful for the opportunity to read the book early!
This is a very good debut novel as well as just a very good novel overall.
The characters are likable and have depth and lend to a moving and cute story with a fun clean romance.
There is a lot of back story for Weston showing how he became such a strong person dealing with the loss of his legs; this strength and understanding lends him the ability to crack Tessa's depressed and angry shell and show her what she's missing in life despite her lack of vision.
However, Weston isn't perfect in the present either. Despite the confidence he shows the world, we see him still stumbling and hung up on how others view him and how he views himself.
If you are looking for a quick and cute romance with a unique and emotional premise, this book is highly enjoyable. Compared with a lot of YA romance books I've read recently (and in the past), this book has a lot of heart in it and doesn't follow some cliche romance storyline. That said, the main issue I had with this book is that the description is pretty much the whole story. There aren't a lot of action events in this book. Mainly we just see how Weston grows on Tessa with his back story slowly shown throughout with a climax of Weston overcoming his fears and cowardice after the 100 days are over.
As a novella this would probably be perfect but I had expected more which led to disappointment... so I guess just expect a quick fun story and you'll love this!
100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons was absolute perfection. It was one of the most - if not THE most - inspiring story I’ve ever read. Although I usually prefer fantasy books, Abbie’s whimsical writing and amazing characters made it impossible not to love this book. There were times when I was laughing one moment and tearing up the next. I also thought that the duel point of views worked so well for this story. Both Tessa and Weston had their own unique voices and personalities that were clearly displayed in Abbie’s writing. This books deals with heavy topics of despair and loss, while also detailing the beautiful journey of finding your way back to the light. This book was about many things, including bravery, friendship, defiance, motivation, despair, family, and so much more. Most importantly, though, it was about love and how those who truly love you will accept you for who you are, despite the fact that you aren’t perfect. It is also about accepting yourself, which is such an important message. This review was hard to write because I feel like I have no words after finishing 100 Days of Sunlight. It was heartbreaking and motivating in the best ways possible. I am hoping for a sequel so we can see where the wind takes Tessa and Weston next.
3.5/5
I read 100 Days of Sunlight in a single day. In fact, I actually read it over the course of one long car ride. It is a short, sweet contemporary novel about young love, grief, and recovery. It hits a lot of the right spots for a quick heart-felt read. I really enjoyed the novel's theme of recovery told through an exploration through the senses. It gave a nice sense of progression and pacing to the novel that might have felt a little too short or rushed otherwise.
That being said, I found Weston's character a little hard to swallow at certain points especially towards the beginning. Although he served as a nice contrast to Tessa's angst, he felt a little unrealistically positive and mature at times.
I don't read contemporary that often, but overall I found Abbie's novel to be enjoyable and original. I especially appreciated the emphasis on familial relationships and friendships. 100 Days of Sunlight is an excellent debut novel and gets the job done. I look forward to reading what Abbie writes in the future.
“Happiness felt like hell. And Despair felt like my maker.”
100 Days of Sunlight is one of those books that just make your heart feel full after reading it. There were a few scenes — flashbacks and a few chapters at the end — that made a few tears fall out of my eyes. That’s because it was so heart wrenching for me to read about Weston’s story and his struggles especially after you get to know him as this confident, optimistic, and happy-go-lucky guy. I definitely feel like the author really developed the characters personalities well and I loved being able to dive into Wes’ backstory and understand who he is as a character. Being able to experience both Wes and Tessa’s individual journeys and watch how they developed throughout the course of the novel was such a pleasure and joy to read. I genuinely adore both characters (especially Wes, sorry Tessa!) and was so satisfied at what the ending brought for these two characters.
“My heart is a reckless beast, my stomach a cage of butterflies.”
Reading Tessa and Wes’ (or Westess as the IG girls called it lol) develop throughout the book was so satisfying and enjoyable to read. Wes was always so patient, kind, and understanding with Tessa without letting her temporary cortical blindness consume her identity because he’s been where she is and knows what she needs to move out of this place of darkness and anger into one of sunlight and happiness.
Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read what Abbie Emmons comes up with next!
**I was provided an arc of 100 Days of Sunlight by Netgalley for my honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.**
This was a compellingly sweet story of two teenagers finding first love in the most charmingly unfortunate way. Everything about it feels so raw and realistic. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Oh, wow. What a fun, interesting and just downright lovely little book. The author delivers a rapid-paced, gripping, well-written and perfectly executed contemporary novel that I know I’ll be thinking about for the next several days. Absolutely charming!!
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the free review ebook! All opinions are my own.
I was drawn to 100 Days of Sunlight because of the gorgeous cover, and the promise of a "The Fault in Our Stars readalike". The story alternates perspectives of Tessa and Weston. Tessa, a blogger and poet, has lost her sight after an accident. When her grandfather puts an ad out for an "assistant" to bring Tessa's joy in writing back, Weston takes up the call - after all, he's wheelchair bound after an accident himself.
As I began reading, I found the writing fast-paced and visual, which was compelling. However, as the story progressed, I felt that the two main characters became problematic: When Tessa loses her sight in an accident, she is understandably lost and upset. Yet as the book goes on, her continued attitude toward blindness becomes offensive, in my opinion. Tessa agonizes over wanting to "be normal" again, and while this may improve later in the book, the way it is written in the first few chapters totally turned me off to the character. I felt that the disabilities in the book were poorly handled plot points, not true depictions honestly written by an in=group author. The world needs more stories of acceptance, not vilification, of disability.
Weston was equally poorly written: After hearing about a blind girl needing help, Weston is creepily eager to meet her, and shows up at Tessa's house even though a female assistant was requested. He is attracted to Tessa immediately, though they have a horrendous first encounter. I've read books where a situation like this has been well-written (like When Dimple Met Rishi), but this book is NOT like that.
Overall, the characters and their situation doesn't come off as realistic, and disability seems to be used as a prop for a poorly executed meet cute. As a result, I did not finish the book.
100 Days of Sunlight tells the story of Tessa who because of a car accident loses her sight for 100 days. Weston comes into her life hoping to help her heal and in a way understand there's always a bright side to life. I quite enjoyed this novel, it was a quick read but positive, uplifting and very much what you need for a pick me up. The themes of disability and healing are treated beautifully and I particularly loved how much it stressed 'there's nothing you can't do'. The novel is very much intended towards a teenager, younger adult audience but I still found it engaging, emotional read. I would recommend this to anyone who wanted to have some positive and good and healthy disability representation in their lives.
The cover art for this novel is just gorgeous. The story itself is gorgeous. This novel took me by surprise. When you look at the book, it looks like it will be a light hearted love story, but that is not the case. This story has so many well developed layers and it was a joy to read. It sucked me in from the very first page and I devoured it within a day. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and was in no way, shape, or form convinced or coerced into writing a positive review. These are my honest thoughts.
OH MY GOODNESS!
I loved everything about this book (the cover, the way it is written, the characters, the setting and the explanations). I laughed and cried, but most of all... I found it relatable.
Abbie has a wonderful way of storytelling. Her YouTube channel is inspirational and the way she explains things is effortless. I can't wait to read her next book and will definitely sign up again for an ARC if I get the chance.
I give this book 5 yellow sunlight stars, I'd give it more if I could *lol*.