Book Description Review “Johnson (Even If I Fall, 2019, etc.) has written a complex and emotionally charged character-driven story that explores a variety of painfully human themes, including loss and emotional abuse. Adam’s and Jolene’s struggles will draw readers in, and the slow-burning romance will touch readers’ hearts… Heart-wrenching and hopeful–a reminder that we can change our stories.”–Kirkus Reviews“Johnson beautifully evokes the tender romance that eventually builds between them [Adam and Jolene] after their first encounters, offering readers access to the two teens’ inner thoughts and fragile psyches. Jolene’s loneliness, especially, will break hearts… The positive, not overly simplistic resolution to the complicated story will touch readers.” –Booklist“Every Other Weekend left me teary-eyed and hopeful with its flawless balance of unforgettable characters, tough issues, and a pitch-perfect love story.” –Suzanne Young, New York Times bestselling author of The Program series”This is a coming-of-age story with real heart and authenticity. A must read!”–Samantha Young, New York Times bestselling author of The Fragile Ordinary and On Dublin Street“A poignant, painful, and stirring story about two kids trying to navigate divorce, first love, and finding your dreams.”–Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces and How to Make Friends with the Dark“Every Other Weekend handles sensitive family issues with honesty, amidst the fresh, emotive backdrop of Johnson’s stunning prose. Adam and Jolene spark the page with their wit. And they’ll slide into your heart as they discover each other’s.”–Laura Taylor Namey, author of The Library of Lost Things“In addition to the tender love story, the book takes on a number of important issues for young adults including divorce, loss, grief, family dynamics, relationship control, and sexual assault. The two main characters are well developed and teen readers will easily empathize with their emotions, their family conflicts, and the events that unfold in their lives… Romance fans will especially enjoy this title, as it delves into many family and relationship issues.” –School Library JournalPraise for Abigail Johnson’s other novels:“A moving, captivating story about the bonds of family and the restorative power of love.”–Tamara Ireland Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Little Do We Know, on Even If I Fall“Abigail Johnson deftly weaves together emotional and romantic turmoil into an unforgettable read about loss, dreams, and redemption.” –Jeff Zentner, William C. Morris Award-winning author of The Serpent King, on Even If I Fall“Even If I Fall is a twisty tale about the complexity of family, love, and friendship. Told with truth and heart, it’s impossible to put down.” –Elizabeth Eulberg, author of Better off Friends“A thoughtful novel about loving someone, even in the face of their faults.” –Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species, on Even If I Fall“If I Fix You is a heartrending story about life not being what you hoped for…and being okay anyway.” –#1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike”Broken boys and broken cars and broken hearts. I loved this combination of things that need fixing. Heartfelt and romantic! Read it!” –Kasie West, author of The Fill-In Boyfriend, on If I Fix You“Adroit and strong-minded, If I Fix You is a wholehearted page-turner.” –Huntley Fitzpatrick, author of The Boy Most Likely To“What a fabulous debut by a great new writer to watch!” –Cammie McGovern, author of A Step Toward Falling, on If I Fix You Read more About the Author Abigail Johnson was born in Pennsylvania. When she was twelve, her family traded in snowstorms for year-round summers and moved to Arizona. Abigail chronicled the entire road trip and has been writing ever since. She became a tetraplegic when she was seventeen, but hasn’t let that stop her from bodysurfing in Mexico, writing and directing a high-school production of Cinderella, and becoming a published author. Visit Abigail at abigailjohnsonbooks.com and on Twitter @AbigailsWriting. Read more Customers Review: 2.5 STARSJolene, caught in a tug-o-war in her parent’s divorce, spends EVERY OTHER WEEKEND with her father and his twenty-something girlfriend in a seedy apartment. Next door, Adam also spends EVERY OTHER WEEKEND with his father, across the hall. His parents live separately while mourning the loss of his older brother. The two strike up a friendship and maybe more.I’m a big Abigail Johnson fan, but EVERY OTHER WEEKEND felt less polished than her previous books. I enjoyed the story and characters though I thought the issues of abuse and neglect in Jolene’s family were glossed over. Her mother put Jolene at risk and was extremely emotionally abusive. Johnson gave misinformation about reporting sexual assault and a file being kept in case he assaulted again. If such a file was kept (and it’s a big IF), it would only be in one jurisdiction and using unindicted prior bad acts is iffy at best legally. Editors should have caught that. I’m in Pennsylvania where the story takes place and know the laws.Despite those glaring issues, I enjoyed the reading experience of EVERY OTHER WEEKEND and Jolene, Adam and Shelly which is my reason for rounding up. The story ended with a period, not an exclamation point which makes it more forgettable than Johnson’s other books.
Rating: 4.5 StarsIt’s not where they want to be, but rather, where they have to be. Court orders and parental visitation schedules brought Jolene and Adam together every other weekend, and what started as a sort of punishment, quickly turned into something they both began looking forward to.I am a H U G E Abigail Johnson fan. She just knows how to write a family drama, that hits all the right notes for me, and she has done so once again with Every Other Weekend.This book was heartbreaking….Both Adam and Jolene were struggling with some serious issues.Adam was still mourning the loss of his oldest brother, while trying to deal with his family, who were trapped in the throes of grief. His pain manifested as anger, and led to some unnecessary family drama.Jolene was also angry, but with good reason. She had been neglected by her parents and simply served as a pawn in their ugly divorce. Her story caused me physical pain, because it was hard to believe that people could be this cruel and uncaring.This book was about family….These broken families had a profound affect on Adam and Jolene, but their family situations were vastly different.Adam, though he couldn’t necessarily always see it, was very lucky to be part of a loving and caring family. They were each dealing with their pain in their own way, but it was easy to see that they were not irreparably broken. There were some really beautiful and heartwarming moments shared between and among the Moynihans, and it was lovely the way they would prop each other up at times.Whereas Jolene’s family was broken beyond repair. Her environment at her mother’s home was toxic, and her father’s constant absence left Jolene to wade through her issues all on her own, which led to some bad decisions and bad situations.This book was about healing….Adam and his family could not move past his brother’s death. They were running in place, while drowning in their sorrow. Their time apart was a catalyst for change, which slowly, so slowly, pushed each of them to confront their pain and look to one another for comfort.By trusting in Adam, Jolene began to open herself up to others as well. Once she began to invite other people into her life, she was able to recognize the precious few, who were really on her side, and she began to believe that she was worth being loved.This book was about finding your “person”….The best parts of this book, for me, focused on the friendship between Adam and Jolene. Adam was so sweet and tender, and though he made some missteps along the way, I always knew he had a special place in his heart for Jolene. He showed her that she was valued, important, wanted, and loved. And, she was just as important for him as he was for her. They were each other’s quiet in the storm, the person they could take refuge in. They grew right alongside each other, every other weekend, and it was beautiful seeing the changes in them.This book was about new beginnings….By the end of the book, Adam and Jolene were in a much better place, and the ending put a smile on my face. There were still things that needed to be resolved in their lives, but I was so hopeful for Adam, for his family, and for Jolene.
It would be hard to rate this as anything other than a 5 star since the writing is so good, the characters nuanced, and the plot highly grounded. More so than most YA books out there, this eschews platitudes in favor of flawed but realistic protagonists who frustrate and inspire you at the same time. It’s not an easy read with both characters having to deal with very realistic and very unfortunate circumstances that could crush any adult, not two mention two teens. But through all the darkness there is a light at the end of the tunnel that keeps this from devolving into a maudlin tear-fest.Story: In one run down apartment building, two 15 year olds meet through adjacent balconies. Jolene has lived there awhile, a product of her parents divorcing and her wealthy father hiding his assets to keep them away from his wife for alimony. He’s never around and she spends every other weekend there, a requirement of the lawyers as the parents use her to hurt the other. Adam arrives at the apartment in anger and despair. His older brother died a year ago and his parents were unable to deal with the grief and letting go. His father provides handyman services to fix the apartment building and Adam is angry at his father for leaving their mother to grieve. Both Jolene and Adam have very different situations but at the heart is that each needs to find their own place in a messed up world.With Jolene’s situation, we have very callous and petty parents, neither of whom provide any parental support or love. With Adam’s situation, we have parents who feel everything overmuch – so much that it is drowning them. So the meeting point between both worlds is that one is starved for love and one is drowning in it. Together, they provide the structure to help each find their own strengths while creating needed stability.At 500 pages, it would seem like a long book but it really isn’t. The pace is brisk and takes place over several months as their relationship develops slowly and organically. Where Adam knows immediately that he has found what he needs, Jolene will shy from close affection with barbed humor and plenty of walls; all she knows of intimacy is that it brings pain. In lesser hands, their story could have been trite and unbelievable – angst just to create drama. But Abigail Johnson has created a story that develops slowly, realistically, and with a great deal of pathos. Even scenes with a sexual predator grooming his next victim were written so that we actually understood why a victim doesn’t realize the situation they are in until often too late.In all, this has all the ‘feelz’ that make a good YA book so moving. You won’t find cutesey couples and every single person in the book is so flawed and in such a bad situation that you really have to fear for the author’s world view. But at the same time, you’ll probably appreciate your own situation much better. After all, you could have one more like one of the main or side characters in this book. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher. |
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