This is a beautiful book. There is so much emotion wrapped up in Ethan and Rebecca’s lives and they both have had their fair share of adversity. This book touches on some pretty intense topics (i.e., addiction, neglect, death of a parent). Ethan and Rebecca are soon-to-be adults trying to navigate how they fit into each other’s lives, as it came so easily when they were kids. I really enjoyed watching them grow and finally advocate for their wants/needs. I am very happy I read this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

This was a beautiful and emotional rollercoaster of a novel. We follow a dual perspective with Rebecca and Ethan. They meet as young children and the main portion of the story takes place eight years later when they are in their late teens.

The story deals with grief, addiction, abuse, disability, family, friendship, and so much more. Ethan and Rebecca both carry heavy baggage and we watch them navigating not only their own challenges, but try to help each other as well.
I love that this beautiful story is clean and romantic and demonstrates that happiness is obtainable even in the wake of trauma.
Some potential TW: substances abuse, child neglect, death of a parent,

This is another title to add to Abigail Johnson's list of top tier books. I think this would appeal to a wide range of readers!!

Can love win against all odds? Rebecca and Ethan work so had to figure that out. This YA book deals with many hard topics including drug/alcohol abuse, abandonment, child abuse and parent death, to name a few.

Ethan was the boy next door until he wasn’t time after time. Rebecca is the girl next door who always seems to be there to pick up the pieces. After watching his mom be abused by drugs and men his whole life, he finally decides that he can’t keep fighting for her unless she wants to fight. Rebecca is a normal girl whose world crumbles after one night of drinking at an underage party. She feel resentment towards Ethan for not being there on that faithful night. She needed someone but he wasn’t there. Finally in their late teens, they come together. They both realize that they need each other and to let the past go in many ways.

Now my thoughts: Honestly I’m all over the place. The story kept me somewhat engaged. I felt that it dragged in many areas. The only reason I stuck around was to see if there was a HEA. There was a HEA but there wasn’t magic/spark. I needed some fireworks. With this being a very young YA book (characters are late high school age), I didn’t expect there to be spice so I wasn’t surprised when there wasn’t any. Overall, was a great second, third, fourth, fifth, etc chance, boy/girl next door young love romance with a side of adult crap that no teenager or younger should have to deal with.

Thank you to Abigail Johnson, Inkyard Press and NetGalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca and Ethan meet as children and become fast friends. Ethan is staying with his grandparents while his mother gets her act together. Ethan comes and goes as his mother relapses and needs help again. Rebecca is heart broken every time Ethan leaves.

Great characters. I didn't always agree with their decisions, but they did what they felt was right at the time.

Over the years the two friends have many things happen in their lives in between the times they are reunited.

I liked the representation of life in a wheelchair. It felt realistic and true to the character.

I also particularly enjoyed Rebecca's boss and husband and how supportive they were.

Thanks to netgalley and Inkyard Press for the arc.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Every Time You Go Away releases December 5, 2023

<i>“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore to be happy.”

“I know better than most people that the real scars, the deep ones, are always on the inside.”</I>

- dual pov
- then/now
- childhood friends/coming of age/neighbours
- grief + guilt
- loss of a parent
- addiction/alcoholism
- disability rep (wheelchair)

Rebecca and Ethan are both two teens who were dealt adult-sized problems and had to grow up faster than they should’ve.
The addiction plotlines and less than stellar parenting on both fronts was really difficult to read and it pained me that characters were continually let down by others not staying for them when they needed them to.

It’s gut wrenching in a sense, but I wanted so much more from this. More connection, better communication — something!

Every Time You Go Away is an interesting read. Why? Because it is often labeled as a romance, and while there is a romance between the two main characters, I don’t feel that is the focal point of their story. Rebecca and Ethan are broken, trying to figure out who they are as they reach adulthood. When I say they are broken, I don’t mean they are actually broken. I mean that they feel they have been pigeonholed into their traditional roles.

Ethan and Rebecca grow and develop throughout the book as they learn to use their voice and advocate for themselves with their loved ones. The journey is challenging for both of them, but it is needed.

Every Time You Go Away is told through dual POV and multiple timelines. This could be a mess if done incorrectly. But Johnson does a fantastic job of keeping everything sorted and understandable.

Overall, Every Time You Go Away is a fantastic contemporary YA read that anyone can relate to as they read.

First and foremost, I am always happy to see accurate and thoughtful disability representation in books, and I hope that we continue to see more representation in the future. Prose and character-wise, I did not personally enjoy this book. I didn't feel attached to the characters and the story didn't feel propulsive.

Thank you to Inkyard Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a heartwarming story of true love fighting through the darkness that is life and all its shortcomings. There were a few moments where I felt the main male character was slightly toxic and my feelings were hurt several times by the decisions of the characters of this book, but overall it was a beautiful story of love and loss and how we pick up the pieces to find the light again

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Told in the voices of young Ethan and Rebecca in two different time frames (Before - eight years ago, and Now), the author does an excellent job of capturing the nuances of a relationship that serves as a lifeline for the two young main characters, and a friendship which begs to become more.

I love that:
- the characters are realistic, flawed, and complicated,
- that each has heavy personal and family situations that they're trying their best to handle,
- that the emotions ring true,
- that the author tackles hard topics (addiction, death, disability, grief, guilt, mistakes, regrets, reconciling the truth vs what is longed for),
- that there are no easy, trite answers/resolutions.

Very well done and highly recommended.

My thanks to Inkyard Press for allowing me to access a DRC via NetGalley. Publication is set for 12/5/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Abigail Johnson is one of my favorite YA authors for realistic fiction, so I was beyond thrilled when I found out she was writing this book. To be clear, it’s not a memoir and it’s not a disability story, but I so loved that Abigail used her own experiences as someone who uses a wheelchair to inspire a dynamic protagonist. My only not-even-a-complaint is that I wish I the book was longer or even multiple books to better explore all the tough issues it took on, but overall, it was excellent and I will definitely be buying it for our high school library and recommending it.

A sweet story about 2 teenagers who are finding their way through adolescence with family drama pulling against them. Repetitive at parts, I found myself skimming to the dialogue.

Pub Date: December 5, 2023
Author: Abigail Johnson
Publisher: Inkyard Press @inkyardpress
Genre: Romance/Teens/YA

“Sometimes I don’t know what’s worse, mourning the past or the future I’ll never get to have.”

Thank you to NetGalley @netgalley and Inkpress for allowing me to read this arc for an honest review.

If I could give this book a million stars I 100% would! This book was absolutely heartbreaking and so evocative of what’s it like to be disabled and to take care of a parent with substance abuse issues. As someone with multiple disabilities I connected on so many levels with the FMC Rebecca because just like her I know what’s it like to be able bodied one day and then wake up disabled the next. The relationship between Rebecca and Ethan felt so real and I rooted for them the whole book! This book is definitely not for the faint of heart or someone looking for a gushy love story! If you are looking to bawl your eyes out and have your heart wrenched out of your body then most definitely pick up this book!

Comes out December 5, 2023!

RATING: 3/5 STARS

I have enjoyed some of Abigail Johnson's previous books but sadly could not get into this one. The topic is very important, but I didn't connect with Ethan or Rebecca. I would still try her future books, though!

Let me start by saying I'm not the target audience for this book. This book was promising. I wanted to know the outcome, but as the story went on I just couldn't seem to care anymore or stay focused on the story. I would still recommend this book.

I am a sucker for an emotional story, and this was definitely one of those! This story was emotional and angsty and just so so moving. The representation was incredible and so powerful. Honestly the only comment I have is that I wish there was more in terms of Ethan and Rebecca’s relationship, as I felt like the story ended too quickly for them. Otherwise J really enjoyed this.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Abigail Johnson for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book drew me in with the comparison to Jennifer Nevin, so I was ready for a tear-jerker. I wasn’t prepared for the depth of Ethan and Rebecca’s story. Everytime You Go Away is more than a YA novel.

Ethan and Rebecca are childhood friends who reconnect each time Ethan returns to his grandparents’ house. Each visit brings them closer but it usually ends abruptly with a note, leaving Rebecca feeling empty, never understanding why he leaves. What neither Ethan nor Rebecca share is the trauma both carry. Ethan struggles to care for his drug addict mother and Rebecca has grief over losing her father. The story is emotional as each character explores their feelings for each other while also trying to make sense of their own trauma.

There were parts of the novel that felt slow and subplots that extended the storyline. It was good!

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Coming of age from two points of view plus lots of back story and trauma. So much pain could have been stopped by having better communication.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Inkyard press for providing me with a copy of this egalley to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
For years, Ethan's life has been tearing him and Rebecca apart. Growing up together in short spurts has never been ideal, but it's been all they had. Can they whether the breaks in their friendship? Can they deal with their own tragedies that happen in between? Can they open up to each other and truly become the one each of them can lean on?
I loved the idea of this book. Two friends who share short spurts of being together only to be torn apart by poor circumstances. There was so much potential for character growth and development. So much room for fleshing them out and making them relatable.
Ethan has spent his life as a captive of his mother's drug abuse. His need to keep his mom safe has always been his top priority. But it has him putting aside his own needs. He's always dropped everything to make sure she's safe never thinking of the impact that may have on those around him who just want him to be happy. I wanted to really like Ethan but his penchant for just up and running really got on my nerves. He had zero thought for anyone else, especially Rebecca. Part of me connected with him because of my own past and understand of drug and alcohol abuse. And I really wanted to that be the case for the entire book. But I just could not bring myself to feel any empathy for him.
Rebecca's circumstances were much more understandable. Tragedy struck her in the form of a car accident that left her paralyzed, And she has tremendous guilt over it. I was happy to see the inclusion of disability in this book. I thought it was well done, showing me exactly how difficult the life of a wheelchair bound person can be when. Showing me exactly how much thought needs to go into living the daily life we all take for granted. At the same time, Rebecca has a bit of a found family in her boss, while she struggles with trying to connect with her mother after the tragedy they have both endured. I enjoyed her character much more than Ethan's.
For the most part, the book had a good theme but the pacing was just off for me. I felt like it was running in circles with the same things happening over and over again. The definition of insanity! It just turned me off and really took away from what could have been an enjoyable. book.
Did I enjoy it, for the most part I did. But. I really felt the conflict was overdone without creating a true empathy for the characters.
2.5 stars rounded to 3.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read Every Time You Go Away by Abigail Johnson.

This book is a compelling story that dives deep into the intricacies of life, hardship, and love. The story is woven together beautifully as it is told from two perspectives, each character burdened with their unique challenges. This story is both heavy and needed.

Rebecca, a teenager paralyzed from the waist down following a tragic car accident grapples with survivor's guilt and navigates her new reality. She was so raw and real, like a real person would be when faced with her circumstances. Johnson presents an honest representation of being a wheelchair user and coming to terms with grief. On the other side, Ethan, comes and goes from Rebecca's life. One moment he's being dropped off by his addict mother at his grandparents, who live right next door to Rebecca, and a while later she's back for him. Ethan struggles to do much besides worry about his mother, taking on the role of protector. Despite his hardened exterior, Rebecca becomes his sanctuary.

Told in chapters from the past and present Rebecca and Ethan's stories intertwine as they both face their challenges head-on. The story is heavy and hard to stomach at some points which makes it brutally beautiful. Johnson did a wonderful job of capturing grief and addiction.