Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally was a book I was excited to read since I have always enjoyed her work. Her latest novel takes place on class trips over the course of four years, but this element was one of the only aspects I enjoyed about the book. Much of the story is melodramatic, and the use of flashbacks becomes confusing since the state of the characters’ relationship is constantly changing from chapter to chapter. Furthermore, their relationship is toxic, and because of this, I had trouble rooting for them.

This book is set over the course of four years and follows Lulu and Alex’s complicated relationship. Every year, they go on a class trip with their school, and their relationship changes during each outing. These trips evoke a sense of nostalgia, and I loved going along with the characters to the amusement park and other destinations. That being said, there is a lot of unnecessary drama, and the book is more graphic than I was expecting. It is especially jarring during the earlier stages of Lulu and Alex’s romance when they are in grade nine. I love reading about school trips and travel, but I was just not invested in the story.

❀ NON-LINEAR PLOT

Another element that prevented me from getting into this book is the non-linear plot. Flashbacks can be excellent if they are well-executed, but in this case, the story becomes confusing. The characters go from enemies to lovers and back to enemies, and the flashbacks come across as a lazy way to show how their relationship develops. I believe there are so many better ways this could have been done, and without the confusion.

❀ SELFISH MAIN CHARACTERS

I also did not really enjoy either of the main characters. Lulu is working on a graphic novel, and I enjoyed reading about her passion, but she, along with Alex, is selfish. Alex tells Lulu that he is only able to go to college if he gets a scholarship through baseball, and she feels hurt and tells him that he cares too much and is not spending enough time with her. There are many other similar instances of this in the book, and I did not enjoy the messages this sends. Neither of the characters communicates or really supports the other, and their relationship is unhealthy.

❀ COULD HAVE BEEN AN ADORABLE ROMANCE

Four Days of You and Me had the potential to be an adorable romance as it takes place almost entirely on school trips. I enjoyed the nostalgia of being taken back to the museum and the amusement park, but this was really all I enjoyed about the book. The non-linear writing style is confusing, and both the main characters are selfish. Ultimately, this one was a disappointment.

Four Days of You and Me just missed the mark for me.

I have a lot of love for Miranda Kenneally — her Hundred Oaks series is a fantastic YA Contemporary series!  This book, though, lacked the same easy feeling that I experienced with her prior work.  The nonlinear timeline and timehops often make it difficult to follow.  There are also several times where I feel elements were added for the sake of having “X, Y or Z” versus actually being necessary to the plot.

I think the concept for Four Days is fun!  It’s cool to revisit the class each year for their field trip and see how each character has grown and which relationships have changed.  I also liked to see what events led to each character’s development, but, again, I think the execution fell short.

When you’re a character-driven reader and you don’t like a main character, it makes it difficult to connect or truly invest in a story.  I don’t want to harp on every little thing that bugged me about Lulu, so I’m simply going to say that she annoyed me.  Alex has a much better character arc but it stretches a bit too far by the end.  I loved the secondary characters, though!  I was there for Ryan, Grace, Max, and Caleb!

Overall, I wanted to love Four Days of You and Me but just didn’t.  If you’re a fan of Miranda’s, you might still want to pick this one up!  I just feel that the confusion caused by the timeline of the story may cause similar issues in a lot of readers so I’m hesitant to recommend it widely.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Please note that it, in no way, had an effect on my opinion or review.

This book has a really odd and interesting structure. It does get a bit boring to revisit the field trip over and over but the relationships are growing and developing over time. 

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This story takes place on the same day every year on the high school class field trip. We see friendships and relationships grow and fall apart, with a few flashbacks throughout the year for context. I thought it was done pretty well, but with the split timeline I felt some of the emotional depth was lost. It was a bit harder to connect to the characters this way. However, it was still really cute, a quick read, and had plenty of humor throughout!⁣

When I saw Miranda Kenneally had another book coming out, I didn’t hesitate to click “Add to my TBR.” This And this book was everything I needed and more! It was different than her others, but still had her signature writing style. Definitely worth the read!


Lulu and Alex have been circling each other for years. Most times they’re up, but sometimes they’re down. But somehow they always seem to come back to each other in the form of a kiss. And it always seems to happen on their school field trips. Are they meant for each other, or is love enjoying watching them circle each other and leave?


Reading this was like coming home. Its always so comforting to read a Miranda Kenneally book. It was like slipping on your favorite pair of jeans or some really holey pj’s. Definitely something you would love to do hundreds of times. Kenneally’s way of writing a romance makes me feel just as comfortable as coming home.


The writing style itself was also nicely done. Even with the bouncing back and forth and the insta-love aspect, I thought it was well done. Yes, even the insta-love was well done because (SMALL SPOILER) they aren’t together for a good while after that. (/SMALL SPOILER) So to me, that totally negates that fact lol


One of the main reasons I didn’t give this 5 stars is the main character. I liked Lulu well enough, but she was so quick to point out what Alex was doing and make sure he was doing exactly what she wanted and all that, but she didn’t seem to look past that. Alex was a nice kid and I’m glad he spoke up about it. (That’s actually what ticked me off too. She got so angry at him for being mean, but really I think he had just bottled it up and like a shook up soda, he blew up.)


And then there was the ending… Why in the world did it end there? I mean, there isn’t even an epilogue! I just felt like after all that back and forth between them, nothing was resolved. We don’t get to see what happens to them? [SPOILER] Yes they make a decision, but how’s it turn out? I know this is the “Happy For Now” theme, but I hate it. Probably why I’m reading more and more adult romance, so I can get the full HEA. [/SPOILER] It would have been ok it we got a glimpse of them in another book, like her Hundred Oaks series, but I think this is a stand-alone. And that just made me sad.


Overall, I love Kenneally’s books and I love her even more. Anyone that can make me read and still like my least favorite romance troupe (insta-love) is definitely going on my fave authors list. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us!

Thank you so much for eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with the writing for this one. I have read and enjoyed some of Miranda's previous books so it does make me sad that this one just did not click with me. I wish this book all the success and I look forward to working with you again in the future. 

Kind regards,

Brittney

First off, I am so glad for a new book from this author. Second, I am in love with these characters. These beautifully crafted, fabulously flawed characters. I cannot say much more, but you will not regret reading this YA book.

Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally is a sweet and fun young adult contemporary romance.   I love this genre, even though I am far from a YA.  There is something so innocent about first loves. Lulu and Alex started out as enemies, but they became friends on their Freshman field trip.  They reconnect every field trip through their senior year.  I found this book to be a quick read, but not my favorite Miranda Kenneally book, to me it was just OK.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I wanted to give this four stars, but the alternating timelines kinda dinged it a bit. There is the annual May field trip timeline, and the overall school year timeline. Both focus on Alex and LuLu and their friends. And a current field trip (always marked "today") can be broken up into any number of segments around the events of that school year. It's a gimmick that doesn't quite work. I know it's supposed to create some sort of suspense (wait, they're dating now? Broke up? Back together? What the heck happened?), but I found myself re-reading passages afterwards, trying to focus solely on a particular field trip, or solely on the events of the year, just so I could get the details straight.
It's hard being in love in a small town when you both know leaving can improve your own life so much--hence the events that drive them apart sophomore year. It's also hard when the best option might take someone out of your life completely. Alex and LuLu are both too young for the HEA--we all know for lovers this young, it's HFN. Only time will tell.

This book was a really cute YA contemporary. I really appreciated the character growth of the main character throughout the book, along with her boyfriend. We get to see them every year on their class trip at the end of the year - so it was cool to see their growth from freshman to senior year. I’m not sure I was always really into the relationship, but the set-up was interesting, and all in all it was a feel good book which I enjoyed!

I liked this book!! Good story!! Received this book from sourcebooks fire from netgally!! I liked that they did field trips instead of chapters!!

A nice light, cute read in the middle of a pandemic is just what I needed. Plus, The enemies-to-lovers trope is my catnip! I can’t resist!

This takes place over their four years of high school, with an emphasis on the end-of-year class trips. I liked the format of the class trips being the focus, but also getting significant events that led up to them. I also enjoyed the characters. Not only were Lulu & Alex entertaining, the little group of friends are, too.

Four Days of You and Me had such a great premise- I loved seeing Lulu and Alex's relationship play our over four years, focusing on the same day each year. I did find the pacing a bit odd- after starting each new year, the story would go back and do several flashbacks that took place over the last year. It was a bit hard to follow until I got used to it. I read another reviewer say they were bothered by the immaturity of the characters, but to be honest, it was perfectly reflective of their age. These characters are high schoolers, and I myself certainly remember my high school days and making lots of mistakes and misjudgements as I grew and learned. The story felt very authentic to me and I really enjoyed seeing them mature as I read each year.

I loved this!!

I read it in one sitting. I thought the main characters’ relationship seemed pretty realistic to high school. I really like how the friend group few over the years. I would have loved to be a part of it. 

Kenneally’s books are always enjoyable to me. This is a solid addition to any public library YA collection.

I adored this book so much! The story was fast paced but I still felt like I made a connection with every character. I loved the timeline aspect of the story, it made it all the more interesting for me. And also the cover is GORGEOUS!! Overall such a satisfying read and I would highly recommend !!

Please note that the link below is only the first of many posts on Instagram about this book, and that the review will be included in a monthly book roundup for Sahar's Blog.

Four Days of You and Me
by: Miranda Kenneally @mirandakenneally
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I was lucky enjoy to receive and ARC of Four Days of You and Me from @netgalley. It came out on Cinco de Mayo, so you can get it now!
The book is about Lulu and her on-again, off-again boyfriend Alex and their high school field trips. (I was slightly disappoint it was set at Thousand Oaks high school.😉) The book is told with flashbacks of the school year, but the bulk of the book happens on May 7th for four consecutive years. I liked the love story between Lulu (an aspiring graphic novelist) and Alex (class president, baseball player, and hardworker in his family’s restaurant). The supporting characters were strong - and I was invested in their love lives too.
This was definitely a departure from Miranda Kenneally’s other books, and I loved it! She has such a great young adult writing style, and I’m a big fan. This was an afternoon read for me, so if you like quirky high school love stories, this is the perfect quick read for you.

It’s hard to hid the fact that I’m a huge fan of Miranda Kenneally. Since reading Catching Jordan in 2012 I have been hooked on her books. There is something so refreshing and fun about her stories. So when Four Days of You and Me was announced I was beyond excited. I loved the idea of two teens going through 4 years of high school and having something happen roughly the same time every May. It seems liked a fun idea and Miranda nailed it. Four Days of You and Me was exactly what I needed and when I needed it.

Four Days of You and Me is the story of Lulu and Alex. These two high school students start as rivals in their freshman year of high school. When they go on the school field trip they find themselves stuck together completely changing the course of their relationship. Over the next 4 years Lulu and Alex (and a handful of friends) navigate what it means to be a teen in a relationship and all the feelings and heartbreak that come with it. With every year and every May field trip Alex and Lulu deal with being together and being broken up and what comes with the in-between. In the end they have to figure out what is worth it and what isn’t.

I loved Lulu and Alex so much. Even in their terrible teenage angst there was something special about them. They had a natural chemistry and genuinely had feelings for one another even if they didn’t know how to deal with them. At times they were both immature and completely overwhelmed by teenage tendencies, but I loved them even with their imperfections. Even when they weren’t together they were their for each other and that was what I really loved about them. In the end they were just perfect together.

In the end, Four Days of You and Me was exactly what I expected to come from the mind of Kenneally. It was funny and charming and a fantastic story about teenage love and heartbreak. And it was completely worth the wait. Definitely pick this one up. Can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!

This was absolutely adorable. I loved it so much. I'll admit the back and forth pacing threw me a little bit, but I got used to it after a while.  I loved the way these two characters had chemistry together, but they were also completely realistic. I think that also partly why I enjoyed it so much. There were somethings that happened that felt very realistic and that just made me feel more connected. I completely recommend this book, it was a cute and easy read!

Publisher's description: Are they meant to be, or better apart?

Every May 7th, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu's relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It's been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since.

Through break-ups, make-ups, and dating other people, each year's trip class brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to Six Flags; New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all.
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Miranda Kenneally's "Four Days of You and Me" is a sweet high school romance in the vein of Ross and Rachel on "Friends." We see more of their stories apart than we do together, but somehow you just know they're meant for each other. The voices of the characters are realistic for high school. It's been a long time since I was a high school freshman, but the teenage drama in this brought it all back.

I loved the tie-in of the school trip for every year. It was a great way to timebox each part of Lulu and Alex's relationship and their movement between enemies, friendship, and high school sweethearts. I also appreciated that Kenneally dealt with the fallout to their friend group when things went sideways. Teenagers tend to have a group of people they hang with, and when a relationship gets rocky, it's just like when adults get divorced. Being together but not together is awkward, and everyone is uncomfortable. 

All in all, this was a nice YA read. I knocked it down to 4 stars because the timeline of the chapters in the beginning was VERY confusing and choppy until I figured out the pattern. Even once I figured it out, it still felt choppy. The other thing (and this is kind of huge) is the glaring math error in the first chapter. The chapter is a single sentence in which Lulu tells us that their first kiss was exactly four years ago today. I know the book covers all four years of high school, but May 7 of freshman year to May 7 of senior year is actually only three years, not four.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.