I had hope for this book! While I really enjoyed the style, I really felt disconnected from the characters. The writing is disjointed and a little frustrating to follow at times. The subject matter is important but it is lost with the messy prose and unclear timelines.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I think that this book will resonate with many teens as they go from through the ups and downs of life as a teenager. Full disclosure I did not finish this book.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this and offer an honest opinion. I will not allow myself to stop reading a book once I start it, but I was tempted with this one. I had to get through at least 30% of the book before I understood what was happening, let alone understand the premise of the story. I had to keep going back to the beginning and re-reading. Then I read the book jacket and discovered the key to understanding the format of the book. Then I started reading again. Once I had that information, I enjoyed the book a little more. In the end, I was hoping for a breakthrough of honesty on the part of all the characters, which never happened. I probably won’t add this one to my list of recommendations.

I was given a free copy of this book from #netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Something bad has happened in Taylor's life, and at first we quite don't understand what. With the story told through journal entries from before the accident to after, it slowly unfolds that he brother has died and she was somehow involved. Contains grief, mental instability, teenage angst, and bad teenage decisions. Very timely and important read for some of our youth.

I had a hard time with this one. With alternating story lines of life before and life after a tragic event, this one was very choppy.

In alternating journal entries (before and after), a girl recalls a family tragedy and betrayal of a friend. Unfortunately, the characters seemed flat, and the prose was immature. I do not see my students engaging with this text.

Taylor Before and After is a story about a young girl dealing with immense grief.

Due to a very tragic accident, Taylor is now moving through life knowing that two of her friends are gone forever. It was a horrible accident, and Taylor should also be gone. But for some reason, she is left alive and must move forward in life with the knowledge of what happened.

Taylor Before and After is told in alternating times. Half of the story is being told from the perspective of the "Taylor Before the Accident" and the other half of the story is told from the perspective of "Taylor After the Accident."

The alternating Taylors provides for deep insight on the effects that grief has taken on Taylor. She is no longer the same person, and she does not look at life with the same innocence and joy as the Taylor before did. The Taylor After is alone, angry, and barely hanging on by a string. Yet, she must continue living with the knowledge that the accident will no forever be part of what is her life.

In my opinion, the story was deep to the point of almost confusing. I thought the story was thought out, but the lyrical text felt choppy at times. I found myself having to reread several lines to find the rhythm of what was happening between the plot, the lyrical verse, and the alternating time perspectives.

While Taylor Before and After had lyrical writing and a relatable friendship storyline, the alternating timelines were difficult to follow and the suspense of finding out what actually happened wasn’t strong enough to propel the reader to continue. While middle grade novels featuring older main characters is certainly needed, I’m not certain this book will have broad appeal.