Time Of Our Lives follows young Juniper and Fitz who are both about to graduate, with very differing future perspectives. Fitz fears college and everything that it encompasses – mainly leaving his mother who’s diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s. Fitz is running against the clock, trying to figure out a way to make his mother understand why he wants to stay close to home, while she’s trying to get him to consider colleges farther away and to live his life without worrying about her. Juniper’s the exact opposite. She is constantly reprimanded by her argumentative aunt, always somehow in trouble for what her younger siblings get up to, Juniper can’t wait to get as far away from home as humanly possible. When Juniper and Fitz meet, each on their own college tour, two worlds collide.
At odds from the very first moment, neither seems to be able to understand the other. Fitz questions why Juniper would ever want to leave her family whereas Juniper doesn’t understand why Fitz would take on all that responsibility for a future that might not materialise until years down the line. What they both begin to realise though is that sometimes, circumstances can’t be what you want them to be, and sometimes, they’re exactly what you need without knowing it.
You know that feeling when you’re reading a story with two point of views and can’t wait for one to be over so you can read about your favourite character again? Yeah, this wasn’t the case here. I was equally invested in both Fitz’s and Juniper’s individual journey and even gladder when their paths collided. Fitz’s storyline, especially was such a refreshing one to find in young adult contemporary. Instead of being selfishly ignorant of other’s needs, Fitz feels compelled to sacrifice his future to keep his mother safe and happy. Even his stilted relationship with his brother Lewis was beautifully explored and showed that sometimes, by trying to protect the people we love, we end up hurting them more. But this is a book filled with second chances, with realising that family comes first but doesn’t mean that you yourself aren’t important, too. Both Fitz and Juniper learn from each other and end up becoming better versions of themselves by showing what the other might not see because they’re too close to their family.
Sure, there were some awkward YA sentences thrown into the mix about how the guy isn’t aware of how hot he really is and the girl does seem to be getting over her relationship way too quickly considering she wanted to spent her future with another guy, but that still didn’t take my enjoyment of the story away.
All in all, this was a wonderful contemporary about two people anticipating and fearing their futures and coming to grips with the realities of having to leave their home to build their own identity away from the places they’ve grown up in. I’d recommend this to anyone who is about to graduate and has some existential fears about leaving those they love to figure out who they themselves are. A beautiful story about what it means to grow up, grow apart and find the way back to the ones you love.
Time of Our Lives is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of April 21st 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A reflective, romantic coming-of-age novel that explores life after high school–perfect for fans of Fangirl and Emergency Contact
A boy desperate to hold on, a girl ready to let go.
Fitz Holton waits in fear for the day his single mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s starts stealing her memory. He’s vowed to stay close to home to care for her in the years to come–never mind the ridiculous college tour she’s forcing him on to visit schools where he knows he’ll never go. Juniper Ramirez is counting down the days until she can leave home, a home crowded with five younger siblings and zero privacy. Against the wishes of her tight-knit family, Juniper plans her own college tour of the East Coast with one goal: get out.
When Fitz and Juniper cross paths on their first college tour in Boston, they’re at odds from the moment they meet– while Juniper’s dying to start a new life apart for her family, Fitz faces the sacrifices he must make for his. Their relationship sparks a deep connection–in each other’s eyes, they glimpse alternate possibilities regarding the first big decision of their adult lives.
Time of Our Lives is a story of home and away, of the wonder and weight of memory, of outgrowing fears and growing into the future
