This book tackled the subject matter of loss and grief with a speculative twist and scientific element to answer theoretical questions about life and death, bending the stages of grief, and a creative plot that addresses families, friendships and love.

The writing was beautiful and deep, characters complex - a fantastic contemporary YA read I highly recommend!

The writing in this was so great, and this is an overall brilliantly constructed book. Its premise and core story are so devastating, though, so I doubt it'll be a re-read.

Every story Justin A. Reynolds writes, I'm captivated, sucked in, and I don't want to find my way out. He spins heartfelt tales with such delicate care and explores important issues. It is so important to get this book into Black teenaged hands.

This book asks a couple of really enormous questions: Would you want to keep a loved one for only a bit more time, knowing that they were going to die? Can we have a world without death? What would be the consequences of altering the natural order of life and death?

But then it doesn't even attempt to answer any of them. And I love it.

This isn't a story about those big questions. This is a story about Jamal, and in particular about Jamal's relationship with his estranged best friend Quincy. It uses this big, huge idea to tell a story about relationships and grief and love and loss, and it's done in a way that is compelling and still manages to feel real.

Recommended for those who like stories about friendships and relationships, grief, and growing up.

I really liked the concept of this books, but parts fell a little flat for me. There was so much apologizing and reflecting, particularly in the middle when it could have been about this second chance at life! Maybe teenagers would appreciate the angst in the middle, but to me if felt like a lot of arguing and repetition. I liked the second half better when it felt like they all finally started living, and I appreciated each of the characters in the book. The dialogue was pretty entertaining too.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
The character building and conversations were top notch. I tore through sections of this book, because it was so well written and so compelling, and so damn funny.  I would say that realistic ya fiction is his sweet spot, the relationships and world of these teens were done with skill. Where it got a little rough for me was when it went into sci-fi with the reanimation. Those specific elements of the story were at times tedious or just struggled in comparison to the rest of the story. Excellent points on coping and dealing with grief though.

Jamal is still dealing with the sudden death of his parents nearly two years prior leaving behind just Jamal and his older sister Whit. Jamal's grief has consumed him and has caused him to place blame where none was due. Specifically upon the shoulders of his former best friend Quincy. Jamal and Q haven't spoken in nearly two years and Quincy has also suffered the loss of his father, without Jamal to lean on for support. 

When they run into each other at a beach party, tensions are running high. Jamal knows that he needs to make things right with his friend. When Q nearly drowns at the party while trying to rescue a girl in the water, Jamal sees his opportunity at reconciliation slipping away, but when Q ends up dying in the hospital after the accident, Jamal's heart is on the verge of breaking again, this time for the friend he push away. 

But a chance at reanimation will give Q more time and give Q's mother time to say good-bye. Jamal is also hoping it will give him and Q an opportunity to patch things up between them. The only thing is: Q doesn't know he's dead, and he definitely doesn't know that he's living again on borrowed time. Jamal knows that the right thing is to tell Q the entire truth, but if you know when you're going to die, will it prevent you from living?

Early Departures was a beautifully crafted story of loss and grief, friendship and family, and most of all: Love. A poignant story dealing with life and death. 

Upon finishing the book, thinking back to everything I've read, I don't know that I can definitively say that I've read a book centered on male friendship. That highlights the love between these two characters so much that in the past and present recollections you can't help but feel the gut punch in the fact that they let this friendship slip away. And with every block used to rebuild what has crumbled you feel this immense happiness. But it's, of course, also tinged bittersweet by the fact that Q has limited time.  

It was a bit difficult to warm up to Jamal in the beginning. The parsing out of information, why he stopped speaking to Q, what happened with his parents is drawn out for a ways into the story. So it takes a little bit to form the picture of the fact that Jamal is still deeply grieving for his parents, and just when he's maybe coming out from that bleakness, his person dies too. I thought it was an interesting commentary on the different ways we grieve. 

I like that Justin A Reynolds doesn't give us a conclusive picture of whether or not Q's reanimation is more gift or more painful. Is having to lose someone twice, knowing their end is near worth it? Or does the closure outweigh the sadness? I feel like happiness and sadness go hand in hand with one another, not working only as opposites. 

I loved each well-spent moment within the pages of this book and even though it doesn't deal with the happiest of topics - something that normally would have kept me away from reading - I finished this book, somehow, feeling lighter. 

This is the first book I've ready by Justin A Reynolds, but I will definitely be checking out his previous book.

What if you had the chance to say a real goodbye?

Jamal never had the chance to say goodbye to his parents, but when his best friend Quincy dies, he has the chance to say all that he never had a chance to say when his friend was alive, that is if Quincy will forgive him long enough so he can talk.

This book is challenging. There are a lot of ethical questions that make for an interesting discussion. Is there ever enough time when a loved one dies? Would you want to bring back someone so YOU can gain closure? Won't it be even more painful the second time a loved one dies?

The reader journeys through these questions and more as Jamal tackles what it means to be a friend in life and in death.

There’s a lot of love flowing in this amazing second novel by young adult author Justin A. Reynolds.  Jamal is an African-American teenager who has experienced a lot of loss, which you learn about in the first few poetic chapters.  His mom and dad died in an accident and Jamal clearly blames his best friend, Quincy, for causing it.  He’s ducking out of school and is getting ready to break up with his girlfriend, Autumn.  

Not a lot is going right.  But then it all goes wrong.  

At a house party one night, Quincy rushes into Lake Erie to rescue someone from drowning and puts his own life in danger instead.  Jamal rushes in but is too late to save him.  Quincy dies in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. 

That’s where the sci-fi element comes in.  Jamal and Quincy’s mom are offered the chance to reanimate Quincy.  The reanimation will only last for a few days, but it might just be enough time to deal with the unresolved issues in their friendship and give them a chance to properly say goodbye. 

This book is really not science-fiction and it is not a walking dead zombie novel, although there is one “Frankenstein’s Monster” scene that I did like.  The reanimation and the rules that govern it are only there to allow the characters an opportunity to see what happens when they are given a temporary second chance.  They take full advantage of it, but it isn’t without some sad times.  This is a great book about grief and also about the power of lasting male friendships.  There will be a lot of readers who “get” this book.  

Justin A. Reynolds… I’m a big fan.

This was a beautiful book. So heartfelt. Moving. Memorable. A tearjerker. I feel there isn't a lot that needs to be said for this book. It will touch your heart.

Justin A. Reynolds’ impressionistic, speculative, emotionally accessible and beautifully original novel, Early Departures, explores the pain of regret that attends sudden and unexpected death, especially when it happens to young people.

Jamal has one regret in his young life – he didn’t save the life of his close friend Quincy – Q - Barrantes when the young man drowned. They had once shared everything, from college plans to a love for Jauncy, a digital comedy program that obsessed their teenage years. Even as he tries to move on with his life, with his girlfriend Autumn and his pregnant sister Whit by his side, Jamal is haunted by Q’s memory, struggling under the weight of his grief and guilt over something that came between them prior to Q’s death.  Q was inadvertently involved in the deaths of Jamal’s parents, and Jamal subsequently ignored Q’s pain when his father passed.  In the wake of all three tragedies, Jamal has become adept at pushing others away and indulging in the local party scene.

Then medical science intervenes. There’s a new sort of medical treatment which can reanimate the dead for a brief period of nineteen days. While the dead person has no idea that they had ever died and may even display altered personalities without careful intervention, their living friends and relatives have another few days to cherish with them.  Q’s mom chooses to reanimate her son, leading Jamal to try to repair the rift between them without revealing that Q has died – and soon will die again.

Early Departures is a powerful character study with a sci-fi gleam, a wonderful sense of personality and a completely fresh and original voice.

It’s a book about two things: the way grief can weigh a person down to the point of shapeshifting their emotions and identity, and the importance of embracing life. Jamal learns to overcome much and especially do the latter as he comes of age in the wake of Q’s death and second life. It’s a fascinating journey that’s both surrealistic and bracingly grounded.

The book has a lot of stylish prose, and its minimalism has great purpose and liveliness that make it amazing.  There’s something thrilling and unique about its sparseness that grips the reader. The poetry of grief and the lusty power of life are given equal weight in a beautiful yet prosaic way.

All of the characters are memorable in their own way – from Q’s emotional mom to funny Whit.  We get a few doctor types from the hospital thrown into the mix as well, and they contribute nicely to the story as a whole..

There are two central relationships here – Q and Jamal’s intensely close friendship-turned-conflict and Jamal’s relationship with Autumn, which is complicated by Jamal’s sense of loss, which constantly forces him to push her away. Both relationships are given equal weight, with room left for Q’s mom to process her feelings about her son’s death and Whit’s strong bond with Jamal to take some narrative space.

My only real criticism of the piece is that I felt as though Whit could have pulled a little bit more narrative weight.  I like what she got to do in the book, but I wanted more of her. But that’s only a small bobble.

Early Departures will cause teenagers to dream and to feel seen and understood at the same time, especially if they’ve experienced a death in their lives.  It’s a moving, enriching and rewarding experience that’s absolutely worthwhile for them and adults alike.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible, or your local independent bookstore
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If you had the chance to bring a dead person back to life, for a short period of time, would you do it? Would you make amends before they leave? Would you regrow or continue a love that you know will end in a set amount of time? 

“Early Departures,” the newest novel by Justin A. Reynolds (author of “Opposite of Always”) answers these harsh questions in a beautifully heartbreaking way. The book follows Jamal as he deals with the untimely death of his former friend, Quincy/Q, and the chance he is given when Q is “reanimated” for a limited time after his death. Q and Jamal grew apart after Jamal’s parents’ deaths, but after his death and knowing he has a limited time, Jamal decides he wants to reform their friendship. What follows is one of the most heartbreaking and heartwarming books I’ve read all year. 

Reynolds sets up “Early Departures” to be one of the best stories about living your life to the fullest while absolutely breaking you at the same time. The rekindled relationship between Jamal and Q is heartwarming, but against the fragile backdrop of Q’s final days, every action hits like a punch to the gut as the reader comes to terms with Jamal that this won’t last forever and all good things must come to an end. 

Accompanying Jamal and Q is a small band of characters that add to the complete sense of the circle of life and love that fills our lifespans. These characters include Autumn, Jamal’s girlfriend; Ms. Barrantes, Q’s mom; and Whitney, Jamal’s pregnant sister, all of which represent aspects of Q’s life that made him who he was and will be remembered as. Their roles in this book as so important and keep the book easy to follow and that much more enjoyable to read. 

What really drives “Early Departures” is its messages and ability to drive these messages home so clearly and hard-hitting. On the one hand, “Early Departures” is a book about life and death, the pattern every living thing follows, and our inevitable end. How, despite this end, we should use the time to make relationships with the ones we love and to not use the time being angry or mad at one another. On the other hand, the book is a story about friendship and holding onto those who make us who we are. Jamal is a character who is clearly off from his normal self, and when he actually comes around to being the person everyone adores, it’s when he’s back to being good friends with Q. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to put the book down and call your friends to tell them how much you appreciate them. 

This book has a way of putting mortality and appreciating time, no matter how short it may be, into such a deep perspective. In many ways, it reminded me of “They Both Die at the End,” which I believe any fan of that book should read this one, but this one, with all respect to Adam Silvera, hit differently. 

As a more personal note, this book had me bawling my eyes out the entire last 10%. The last book I cried that hard to was “The Two Lives of Lydia Bird” and even then, I believe I cried harder at this one. Even writing this now, I have tears welling up in my eyes over how heartwrenching the end was. 
The Verdict

Justin A. Reynolds has created a masterpiece with “Early Departures” and may be one of the best books about life and mortality written thus far. This is easily one of the most memorable books of the year for me personally and has left me thinking about it for hours upon finishing. From its multiple messages on life and enjoying the time available to the loveable duo of Jauncy, this is a YA masterpiece that belongs on everyone’s TBR list. 

My final rating: 5/5 Stars

It's been a while since I've truly felt like I couldn't put a book down, but I never wanted to stop reading Early Departures.  A powerfully patient reflection on death and dying, Reynold's new young adult novel adds a speculative twist to the timeless topic.

With short chapters that read like poetry or a diary, the book follows Jamal as he tries to cope with and repair his relationship with his best friend, Quincy, after Quincy has been brought back to life.  With poetic tension, though, Quincy's reanimation comes caveats, however: that he will die again within a matter of weeks., and that nobody has told him that he ever died at all.  Interestingly, though, Quincy's impending death is not the center of the novel; rather, the conflict is internal as Jamal navigates both guilt at having waited so long (too long, in fact) to reconnect with Quincy and gratitude for the opportunity to do so.

The very short chapters really kept me reading, and I loved the incorporation of different media through various text conventions.  There are also intense flashes of true anger, fear, and sadness from each of the largely peaceful--overwhelmed?--characters.  In what has the potential to read as an overly-docile treatise on "not wasting a minute of life," the textual dissonance these moments cause helps keep the story pleasantly-uncomfortable.  Early Departures is a stunning piece of art, but it's also a book about death, dying, and all the pain that can cause.

What if you could rewind the past, just a little bit?  What would you do differently?  That is the premise behind Early Departures, a story about families, both biological and chosen.

The story seems a typical teen saga but takes an unconventional turn a few chapters in when a family makes a choice to take the opportunity for a revised goodbye.  The main characters seem to be believable imperfect beings coping with massive losses and disruptions to their lives along with misunderstandings.  

The message of the story: we need to tell those that we care about how much we care about far more often than we do.  Family is also who you invite into your closest proximity, not necessarily bloodlines.  Finally, the book makes you question whether honesty is always the best policy, especially in dire circumstances with those you care about the most.

The only downside was that a character’s ending seemed a bit rushed and brushed over, devoid of specifics.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Early Departures balances grief, loss, and celebration to tell a story about the tenuous nature of life and the suddenness of death. The prose has a drifting or wavering quality early on, helping build a sense of fragility which perfectly fits the text. 

Besides the obvious themes of life and death, there's a lot of grappling with discomfort and truth. When is is honesty the best policy? How much does someone really need to know something when it's bad news they can't change? This book doesn’t pretend to have the right answer, it just tells one very moving version of what a small group of people try when they get a second chance to say goodbye. It's often sad but has some very happy moments, telling and showing ways that the characters choose to celebrate life while they can.

Jamal is a fantastic MC, he feels really earnest even when the book thinks he might not be doing the right thing in his personal life, and the whole effect works really well. This feels like the kind of book I’ll come back to when I need it. That doesn’t happen to be right now for me, but it offers a certain kind of catharsis that I appreciate.

CW for pregnancy, drowning, car accident, parental death, major character death.

Following Jamal on his journey as he grieves for his friend--and his parents--while trying to do what he thinks is right was so emotional.  I also really enjoyed having strong female characters in the story.  While they were not main characters, I felt they were incredibly well-developed.  And I felt the grieving process, both for the end of a friendship and the deaths of parents, were handled well and accurately. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, but especially teens who need to know they are not alone in grieving.

"I'll always be with you, I'm everywhere you are."

I am officially a puddle of mush. If there is one lesson I took away from this book, it's that we should make every moment count, because we never know how long we have with the people that we love. Sure, that's easier said than done, and "living life to the fullest" sounds like one of those sayings people have plastered on a piece of reclaimed wood hanging in their kitchen, but there is so much truth in these words. While reading this book, I was reminded that yes, we all screw up from time to time, and we don't always make a point to focus on the important things in the day to day grind, but perhaps if we made more of an effort to prioritize people and relationships, there wouldn't be quite as many regrets on both ends when people pass. Gripping, with swells of emotion and unexpected suspense, Early Departures took me by surprise, and I highly recommend anyone with a heart, whether you're a teenager or a grandparent, to give this quietly powerful novel a read.

Man, do I enjoy the mind of Justin Reynolds. First, he gave us The Opposite of Always.  Now, he gives us Early Departures.  There just the subtlest of science fiction in his books, so light that even the most avowed hater of science would still read and enjoy these books.  I love the way his protagonists grow and mature, but also are still finding themselves at the end of the book.  There were parts that were a little cheesy, but overall, I really enjoyed Early Departures.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! This book was about a 3 star read for myself. I was not the biggest fan of the stream on consciousness writing, but I really enjoyed the characters. How Jamal handled his grief felt very real, and developed. I will definitely pick up another book by this author.

This was more like a 3.5 stars. I really appreciate the concept and the conflict - Jamal stopped being friends with Quincy two years ago, and then Quincy dies, but scientifically there's a way to bring him back to life long enough for his loved ones to get closure. So Jamal has to use that time to make up with him and spend a little more time together. 

The way this story was told was a little frantic and eccentric. I can see how that relates to the plot - finding out you have a few more days with a dead loved one IS frantic and eccentric. But it ended up being a little messy.

The narrative is a little modern-day stream-of-consciousness for me. It's sentence, line break, sentence, line break, sentence - it kind of felt like a mix between weird poetry and when you send multiple texts to your friends instead of putting it all in one message. It wasn't necessarily a turn-off to me, because it felt real, but it made things feel a little rushed.

There was very rarely a TRULY serious moment in this story, which is both refreshing and strange. Everyone cracked jokes all the time. I deal with a lot of my problems by laughing at them and even I wanted a break from it. It was realistic, especially the rare serious moments that wrapped up with a joke, but sometimes a book being too realistic in ways like that can actually take you out of the story.

All this isn't to say it wasn't a good book. It was the story of Jamal healing not only from his friend's death, but their broken relationship before, and the death of his parents two years earlier that he never even tried to heal from. Jamal had a healthy relationship with his girlfriend, Autumn, and Autumn was a wonderful communicator and tried her best to help Jamal but also accepted that she would need to walk away if he wasn't able to meet her needs. There was also no real toxic masculinity keeping Jamal and Quincy from telling each other how they really felt - even if it was due to the circumstances, it'll be good for teen boys to read. 

Speaking of teen boys, I'm really here for more books about straight Black boys, especially ones that have plots that don't involve their race. Without discounting any other books about Black kids, it's always nice to have more options to recommend to every demographic at work, and this is one that I feel I have the hardest time finding books for. So I'll definitely be recommending it when it comes out. 

Even though it didn't fully click with me, there were a lot of parts in this story that really hit me. I'm super scared of death, and when I read this passage it took my breath for a minute: 
"And I suppose the story moral is: You can die and still live on. You can be alive but be consumed by death. The difference between living and being alive is: Everything." (quote is subject to change in the finished copy btw) 
And, of course I cried, it's a book about second chances and final goodbyes. So overall I do recommend this story, but with adjusted expectations - it's nowhere near as hard-hitting as I expected it to be.