Much thanks to Inkyard Press and The Fantastic Flying Book Club Tours for sending me a copy for review and for inviting me to be a part of this tour. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own. Also, all quotes are taken from the ARC and may or may not appear in the final published copy.

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Book Details

Title: Every Other Weekend

Author: Abigail Johnson

Date Published: January 7, 2020

Publisher: Inkyard Press (Harlequin Teen)

📚 Series: No.
📚 Genre: YA Contemporary Romance.
📚 POV:  First person, alternating
📚 Cliffhanger: No

⚠ Content Warnings: Parental neglect. Divorce. Abuse. Dealing with family dynamic changes. Dealing with grief. Toxic relationship. Sexual assault. 

⚠ Read if: you are in the mood for something angsty, slow-burn, and well-written.

Book Blurb

What if your safe place…is a person?

Adam Moynihan’s life used to be awesome. Straight As, close friends and a home life so perfect that it could have been a TV show straight out of the 50s. Then his oldest brother died. Now his fun-loving mom cries constantly, he and his remaining brother can’t talk without fighting, and the father he always admired proved himself a coward by moving out when they needed him most.

Jolene Timber’s life is nothing like the movies she loves—not the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because she’s been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each other’s throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love she’s starving for.

Forced to spend every other weekend in the same apartment building, the boy who thinks forgiveness makes him weak and the girl who thinks love is for fools begin an unlikely friendship. The weekends he dreaded and she endured soon become the best part of their lives. But when one’s life begins to mend while the other’s spirals out of control, they realize that falling in love while surrounded by its demise means nothing is ever guaranteed.

About the Author

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Review

Aaaah, I can’t believe I found another new favorite. 2020 is being extremely good to me!

Okay, before we delve in deeper! Let me just say wow over how pretty this book cover is. To be honest, I always get drawn in by amazing covers. And in recent years, the trend is in illustrated covers. I love the artwork in this one. I did a little digging and the artist is Marissa Korda and her portfolio can be seen here. 

Now, for this beautiful read!

Every Other Weekend is the first time I encountered the author Abigail Johnson, but I am sure that this will definitely not be the last! It is told in the point of view of two teens, Jolene and Adam, who are both sent to their dads every other weekend due to a custody agreement after a divorce.

Jolene and Adam met each other because their weekend homes are adjacent. Jolene is an aspiring filmmaker and loves reimagining how her life may be. Adam, however, wants his parents to reunite with each other while dealing with the grief of losing his brother.

This book is a little long and offers its story through a slow burn type of way. But, don’t fret, Johnson is skilled with wordweaving that you won’t really notice that you’re at 500 pages!

Quick warning: Readers must also approach this story with caution as soooo many triggering events are scattered throughout this read.

The writing style of this book is light and fun. There were lots of witty banter. But the issues interwoven within talks about something very deep and serious. As I am a self-confessed sucker for reads that squeeze my heart and soak my pillows with tears, I can definitely say that this book was able to deliver the angst-level that I was craving for!

When you pick up this book, which you absolutely should, be prepared to laugh out loud and then cry your heart out!

Favorite Quotes

“It was a love story. Not romantic exactly, but the kind of love that maybe lasts beyond passion and heartache. It was a story of friendship, with all its possibilities laid out in front of it.”

♡♡♡

“You made me want to be happy again.”

♡♡♡

“Adam, I never needed a movie with you, because when you love someone – and I can say it a million times if you want – it’s already perfect.”

♡♡♡

“If you feel like you need to cry, just give me a sign and I’ll collide into you, knocking us both to the ground – that way everyone will think you’re crying ’cause I kneed your junk.”

♡♡♡

“Look, are you going to be around a lot?”
“Every other weekend.”
He hung his head. “Me too.”
I didn’t bother with a fake smile. “Yippee.”

♡♡♡

“And I know you’re gonna break my heart at some point, I might even break yours.” I pressed her hand more firmly against my chest. “But it’s yours to break and mend and hopefully not break again, because, like you’ve said many times, I have fragile boy emotions.”

My Book Rating Breakdown

🌼 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌼 Main Character:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌼 Significant Other: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌼 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌼 Character Development:⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌼 Unputdownability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌼 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

☁ FINAL VERDICT: 4.64/5 ☁

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌼🌼 GIVEAWAY 🌼🌼

Get a chance to win 1 out of 2 Copies of Every Other Weekend!

Open for US Residents only. 2 Winners! Giveaway ends January 16th.

Click below to enter!

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