12YOBookClub discussion

This is the July 2020 discussion thread for Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds!

I have never been into the premise of Groundhog Day as a movie, it always seemed to be repetitive and boring to me. I'm the type of person who does not even enjoy reading the same novel twice, so reliving the same plot within the course of one book does not interest me at all. However, while this novel had the concept of a time loop it's not the main reason I enjoyed this book. The characters were well flushed out, even those who didn't have a lot of "time" or focus had their own complex stories, emotions, and battles. There was significant discussion on illness and how experiencing (chronic) illness vastly changes your perception of life, hope, and goals. Each time loop also had drastically different outcomes that made me ache for the characters and the hardships that they had to face. By the middle and end of the book, I understood fully why Jack was so adamant on reliving this time over and over again. I wanted him to succeed. I think often happy endings-- especially in books that discuss loss-- are often set up to be filled with mourning from the beginning, but the characters really make you root and hope until the very end. Super fun read and a great introduction to Justin A. Reynold's writing. I'll be keeping my eye out for more work by him, for sure.