I loved this! I didn't realize it was YA as I thought it was a beautifully written story. I love the idea of the the best week ever and think of how that looks different for all of us.
The characters were well written, making the reader invested in their self discovery and adventure together. I don't want to give away the ending but I loved it as it could have ended another way.

Mm big nope with this one guys. Did not like it at all. It was slow, cliched, and just overall meh. The characters were also very boring unfortunately and while the story had potential it just wasn’t there for me.

The best week that never happened is about the love and life of Tegan and Kai. Both of them at the start of the story seemed a mystery, but their character developed along with the story. You could feel their grief and loss while reading through the chapters. Story starts of slow, seems like suspense, but its actually a heartfelt romantic novel! Kai for me is a perfect guy. Tegan is trying to live her life. One of the best contemporary YA novel i have read in recent times! The language and narration of the author is beautiful. For a YA novel, it has complex emotions dancing all around. I love the nonlinear timeline and how the author has penned down POVs of both Kai and Tegan. Read this, you’ll be words bound!
Thank you Netgalley, Dallas Woodburn and publisher for reader’s copy of this novel. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way.

I found that in the beginning it was slow to know where this book was going to take me, but once I got going I couldn't put it down. I loved getting sucked into Tegan and Kai's love story, their past history and their search for what was happening. This book reads like a contemporary YA with a small touch of magic and mystery, which is what really intrigued me and helps to set this book apart. I knew that something was going to happen, but I definitely did not expect the twist when it happened, although once it was revealed it was easy to predict how the book would end. Its a wonderful read, but also heartbreaking. I also really liked the small moments with a lot of the minor characters, which I think was well done. Overall I would recommend this book and I think teens will like it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book surprised me with how emotionally invested I became in the two main characters. Tegan and Kai's relationship draws you in slowly and by the end you'll be hoping for any kind of way for the two of them to stay together. The setting of Hawaii is very reminiscent of the summer holiday-feeling and perfect for a story where anything can happen and nothing is certain. There are a few unanswered questions and plotholes and I can see the way the ending is constructed being divisive but overall I really enjoyed this book and these elements are small enough that you can overlook them.

This book is best to go into without knowing anything about it. Personally, even reading the description gave too much away but there are still some surprises along the way.

Author Dallas Woodburn’s intoxicating tale, the Best Week That Never Happened, is woven into a tapestry of poignant possibilities, powerful self discovery, and the bravery associated with risking your heart. This narrative makes the reader pause and wonder about the choices they could have made and what may have been.

Through the creative unfolding of fascinating and unexpected events, Tegan and Kai, long lost childhood friends, find themselves reunited for a brief, week long period of time when Tegan awakens to discover herself back in Hawaii with no recollection of traveling there. As Kai promises to help Tegan uncover her missing memories, mysterious events and painful discoveries only lead to more questions. For Teegan and Kai, spending this week together strengthens the connection that began when they were only eight years old, revealing the kind of love found by being brave enough to bear your soul. With all the changes they both experience during their week together, one question remains: what will happen to the two of them at the end of their best week that never happened?

This book did not disappoint. The beginning was a little slow as the backstory was being developed. However, once everything was established, I found myself unable to put the book down. By the middle of the book I was on the edge of my seat knowing that something powerful was developing with each turn of a page. I could not wait to see how the plot resolution would develop and all the pieces would come together. I would highly recommend this book. There is just enough mystery, intrigue and reality braided together to keep you up reading until all hours of the night.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really enjoyed this book but it was definitely a middle of the road kind of book. I enjoyed the characters and felt like they seemed whole. Thank you to net galley for sending this to me!

This is a book that made me think about my own life while I was reading it and way after I was done reading it. Have I lived my best week yet? Or is it still to come? We never know when our time is up but that doesn't mean that we should stop trying to live our best lives.

From the start, you know that something about this book is going to make you emotionally break. I felt the weight of that the entire time while reading. You know that the devastating truth was going to fall but not really sure when. I was sitting on pins and needles with my heart in my throat.

Kai and Tegen are our star-crossed lovers who find their way back to each other after a tragic accident strikes. Their relationship seems perfect and they fit easily together. The week they spent together was the sweetest thing that I've ever read. But I was waiting for my heart to drop when one or both of them find out the truth. When it happens, it wrecks you. Even though I knew it was going to happen and I waited for it. The emotion that drips through these pages will make you weep.

The Best Week that Never Happened was heartbreaking and mesmerizing. Words escaped me when I finished because I was so enthralled by the beauty of this book. Nothing has ever made me feel this way after reading. Prepare yourselves for a book that will make you appreciate everything that you have in your life and you'll fall in love all over again.

This is my first ARC from NetGalley and it was a great first read. I loved getting sucked into Tegan and Kai's love story, which I found really touching. This book reads like a contemporary YA with a small touch of magic and mystery, which is what initially intrigued me and helps to set this book apart from your average YA romance. I definitely did not expect the twist when it happened, although once it was revealed it was easy to predict how the book would end. I will say, the book started pretty slow for me and it took me a second to get into it, especially as there's a lot of alternating between past and present, which I'm not always a fan of, but overall I think this is a really nice read for young adult readers. Once you start to get a little deeper into Kai and Tegan's relationship, you start to love these characters and are rooting for them. I also like the small moments with a lot of the minor characters, which I think was well done. Overall I would recommend this book!

This debut novel is captivating, emotional story of first love, and living in the moment. I was thinking of this book long after I finished. Another late night read until the end. Magic..... The author researched well for this book! The Hawaiian based myths and legends. The POV both past and present told by both Tegan and Kai was enough to make you cry. You were there with them feeling lost and afraid just like Tegan.

"When I see his face, my breath catches in my throat. Kai." 💔
You won't want to miss this fantastic novel! I can't wait to read more of Dallas Woodburn.

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

After my sister read this book, she insisted that I read it as well. Without knowing anything about it, I dived right in - and what a journey it was! I absolutely love the plot of this book. I haven’t read anything like it before. The characters are fantastic, especially Kai - the author basically managed to create the perfect man. Tegan (love her name, by the way) is also amazing. This is a debut book, and I really hope to see more from her in the future.

"I'm going to miss you, is all."

This obviously didn't work for me. Where do I even start? This book was so promising, but it tried too hard. It tried to tackle too many issues and ended up glossing them over, never actually taking the time to dive deeper into the situation, whether that was Kai's brother's drug affiliation or Tegan's parents' divorce. It tried to be witty and ended up being a collage of famous quotes and paradoxes. The only great example this book actually gave was that of Schrödinger's cat. I'm sure you know how this goes and we can all agree how genius the experiment is. Therefore, that part of the book is genius by association.

Much like that poor cat, our protagonist is both alive and dead. Tegan gets to relive the best week of her life. There's a catch though. This week hasn't happened yet. How is this possible, you ask. The best explanation I can give you is that it's a week she would have experienced, had she not made some other last-minute decision. Anyway, more weird things happen during this eventful week that are not adequately explained (why were her scars making guest appearances?) and more absurd decisions are made (why bother take photographs with the intention of keeping them if you believe you're in dream?). She is convinced she is going to die yet she immediately succumbs to her fate. She doesn't fight, doesn't scream or kick. Not that it would have been of any help but, at least it would have been the normal reaction. Furthermore, she doesn't mention having any regrets or unfulfilled dreams except maybe once. Again, it's not like these thoughts would have brought her happiness but it'd be more than okay to dwell of these kinds of things.

I hate the fact that I even have to write this but it just bothered me so much. Tegan keeps saying how she is stronger than most of her classmates and doesn't cry often. She actually says she considers herself too strong to cry. Which is ridiculous. You can be strong and still cry. Don't be ashamed of your feelings. Your tears do not take away from your strength.

Finally, the writing wasn't great. That is completely understandable considering it is (I believe) a debut novel. I did, however, love all the descriptions of Hawaii's scenery and cuisine. And it did make me wonder 'Has the best week of my life come and passed?' I'd like to think it hasn't. It gives me something to look forward to. A hui hou.

Theme Song: Jeff Buckley - Grace

Tegan and Kai meet when they are eight and Tegan's family is visiting Hawaii. Their relationship grows over time, though they have only seen each other face to face twice in their lives. When Tegan ends up in Hawaii to visit Kai and has no idea how she got there, she has to figure out what is going on. This is a sweet story of what could have been and it read very quickly. It did remind me a few other novels that deal with similar ideas, but overall, it was a cute book with some sweet romance that I am sure will hit the mark with some of my HS students. Thanks netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first ARC from NetGalley, and only my second ARC ever, and it was so good! The synopsis hooked me straight away with the memory loss aspect, and at first I was thinking it was due to amnesia, or maybe even short term memory loss that her parents had sheltered her from and kept from her somehow. But I was wrong, and it was so much better than that! Overall I didnt see the twist coming, but I did begin to catch on a bit as the story progressed. The writing is amazing and I love the way Woodburn goes back and forth between characters, between time periods, similar to how Jodi Picoult does but entirely different at the same time. The character are fleshed out well and I found myself completely immersed in the story, the locations, the sights and sounds and tastes. Wood burns descriptions leave me wanting more, and definitely make me want to travel to Hawaii. I definitely give this book 5/5 stars, and will be sure to purchase a physical copy of it when it comes out. It's a wonderful debut novel!

This book was short but so sweet. Teagan and Kai meet as 8 year olds when she is on vacation in Hawaii from Philadelphia with her parents. They become fast friends and spend all their time together. She returns to Hawaii several years alter and on the last day of her trip runs into Kai accidentally. They meet up that night and exchange cell numbers to keep in touch. They become the closest of friends. Best friends.
Then, 3 years later Teagan wakes up in Hawaii and has no idea how she got there or what happened. She seeks out Kai and they spend then week together falling in love and slowly figuring out how Teagan got there as they have their best week ever. This is such a cute story and so adorable how Teagan and Kai meet and become such close friends. Definitely don't miss this one! Quick, happy read!

This reminded me of one of my favorite books of all time, Anita Shreve’s The Last Time They Met. I mean no disrespect to this author, but rather many kudos to her. The stories are not really that similar, but I loved them both because of the “what might have been” story in both novels. Dallas Woodburn has a great career ahead of her and I’m glad I’m one of the readers who can first tout the wonder that is The Best Week That Never Happened. Tegan finds herself in Hawaii rekindling a friendship with Kai, who she has known for years. But as their week together progresses, T realizes she has died in a train accident on the mainland. This is a beautiful and tragic YA love story. I’m thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC to read in exchange for my fair and honest review.

This book was sweet and also heartbreaking. The idea of reliving a Best Week is interesting and obviously would lead the reader to consider what that would look like for their own lives. I did find it slightly more engaging when Tegan and Kai hadn’t quite pieced together what had happened, but discovering Kai’s direct involvement in the week was a nice surprise.