Now & When by Sara Bennett Wealer had a very unique plot, which toes the line between contemporary and paranormal. In fact, the author makes the book feel so realistic that I would call this book a contemporary read despite the other elements in this book and I definitely commend the author on this.
The book manages to address a wide variety of topics, from mental health, peer and parental pressure, and family struggles, to the journey of a student and of course the never ending worry about tomorrow. I definitely appreciate having seen so many facets of a protagonist’s life because it gives a good representation of someone’s life is in reality. Each day, whether as a student, an adult, or an older individual, there are many challenges we battle. Many of these hurdles occur at the same time and some of them drag our attention in different directions and each time we learn to better our understanding on what to prioritise and what to let go of.
However, the struggle with having all these topics put into a book made the scenes feel overly full with all the emotions that every character was going through and when something feels that heavy, it requires a very step-by-step resolution to feel authentic and give the reader a sense of fulfilment. Do you know how in a math test if you write only the final solution to the problem without showing the steps to how it was arrived at, it’s unconvincing that it was actually solved? It’s that way with books as well. Unless you see the threads of a plot stitch themselves back together, even if the final solution is a natural one or a one that the readers expect, the gaps between when the solution was arrived at and when the question was posed makes the result feel unconvincing.
As for the relationship between the protagonists, it lacked the connection I would look for and was based (from the heroine’s side at least) a lot from what had been seen and how it messed with the mind. Of course, while I understand and expected that, I did feel like the relationship didn’t grow and that there was always this distance that could be felt with every character because of the issue with the conflict resolution. Perhaps, because of all this, there was some pacing issues for me where some parts I could breeze through easily and the others I had to push myself a little to cross.
Despite all this, there was just something very lovely about the message that Sara was trying to communicate and the ways in which the future plot unfolded was very interesting and I felt every emotion that the protagonist experienced. I did enjoy the relationships she had with her friends simply because of what they brought to the scenes and how it’s true in life where you have friends who think differently from you and while that’s frustrating and you fight, you still really like them and can depend on them. The whole ‘supernatural’ aspect of the story was handled really well and I loved seeing the dynamics it brought to the story and the many questions that you can ask yourself and answer while reading.
There’s a certain warmth in the whole story and an endearment I felt to it and perhaps because of my current situation, the message too felt very apt for me and I connected to it very much. The ending really had me leaving with a feel-good sense of contentment.
Now & When is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
For fans of Jenny Han and Christine Riccio comes a romantic dramedy about a teen girl who stumbles upon a mysterious website that tells her everything she doesn’t want to know about her future.
There’s something about Truman Alexander that Skyler Finch finds incredibly annoying. Actually, several things: his voice (grating), his arrogance (total know-it-all), his debate-team obsession (eyeroll), and his preppy vibe (does he iron his shorts?). She does her best to avoid him and focus on the important stuff: friends, school, and her boyfriend, Eli. His promposal was perfect–just like he is–and the future is looking bright. Or is it?
For some unexplainable reason, Skylar’s phone is sending her notifications from the future . . . a future in which, to her horror, she appears to be with Truman. As in, romantically. As in, Skyler cannot let that happen.
But trying to change the future means messing up the present, and what Skyler sees keeps shifting. Classmates disappear and reappear, swap partners and futures. Turns out there are no actions without reactions, and life doesn’t come with a road map. But sometimes the wandering leads you exactly where you need to be, and people–like glitchy phones–are full of surprises.
