Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Book: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Publisher: Speak
Pages: 277
Source: Library
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Lennie plays second clarinet in the school orchestra and has always happily been second fiddle to her charismatic older sister, Bailey. Then Bailey dies suddenly, and Lennie is left at sea without her anchor.

Overcome by emotion, Lennie soon finds herself torn between two boys: Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, and Joe, the charming and musically gifted new boy in town. While Toby can't see her without seeing Bailey and Joe sees her only for herself, each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. But ultimately, it's up to Lennie to find her own way toward what she really needs-without Bailey. A remarkable debut novel perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block.

I've been on a contemporary craze lately, so naturally, I devoured this one in about a day and a half. From all the reviews, I kind of expected to be sobbing and going hysterical and loving this book to pieces.Well... none of those three things happened to me. *awkward moment*

WHAT I LIKED:

• It's insanely addicting.
• That sentence says it all! It's a really fast read and I admit that it was hard to put the book down at times. 
• I adored Lennie and the writing!
• Lennie's narration throughout the whole book just made everything better. It was vibrant and just plain out hilarious at times. I also loved the writing style. Incredibly vivid and descriptive, I really liked how Nelson portrayed things in this book. The kissing scenes, for one, focused more on the surges and jolts of pure elation Lennie was feeling rather than on the hot and heavy descriptions. (Though, I'm very sure it was hot and heavy for Lennie.)
• Lennie herself was a very well written character. (Please excuse my inability to describe things, I'm half awake as you read this.) She was just so realistic, and I connected with her instantly. I totally felt for her when she was going through horrible times, and I could understand why she made her mistakes. 
• She goes through major character development throughout the book and it was awesome to see her mature and blossom despite the tragedy that has affected her.
• The ending was just super cute.
• It was a great wrap up to this standalone, and the epilogue was adorable! I really liked how Lennie and her other significant half connected in the last few pages in the book, even though it felt just a bit rushed. (I explain more in the "What I Didn't Like" section.) 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

• I couldn't really get into the book till the end of it.
• The sentence says it all. I couldn't find myself emotionally attached to this book for God knows whatever reason, and because of that, I can't say that I loved this book.

•  The romance didn't feel very realistic to me.
• I don't know how to explain this very well, but in a lack of better words, this "love triangle" just didn't get to me. I didn't swoon over Toby or Joe. (Although their "reactions" in this book was quite amusing to read about.) My heart didn't race when Joe or Toby were having their moments with Lennie. Just nothing. 
• I'm a huge huge huge romance fan, so the enjoyment factor on The Sky is Everywhere slowly dwindled when I was reading this.

• Rushed solution + Huge problem = No-no.
• For a good chunk of the middle part, there was a big conflict between Lennie and said significant half. When the issue was resolved between them, I personally felt it was just rushed. It was basically, "I did this recap on our love life together, I forgive you, let's make out."

THE VERDICT:

• I came into this book with high expectations: I expected to cry my butt off, have my heart broken, love all the characters, and just love everything. Thanks to raving reviews (which I think I will avoid from now on since it influences my expectations), I couldn't enjoy this book as much as I had wanted to. The Sky is Everywhere is a great read, but it just wasn't for me.