e-ARC, 352 pages
Release Date: January 2, 2018Published by: HarperTeen
Read from: December 30, 2017- January 1, 2018StandaloneSource: EdelweissFor fans of: Contemporary, Romance, Holidaze, YA
What does it really mean to be kind . . . and why does it sometimes feel like the hardest thing in the world to do? High school senior Kendall, who just returned from a life-changing semester in Europe, and Max, who is drifting his way through a gap year before college, struggle with these questions when they witness a tragic accident in New York City during the holiday season. Racked with guilt, the two accept a dare to perform random acts of kindness to strangers. The challenge pulls these two teens, who have a history together from back home, closer and closer as they explore a vibrant city filled with other people’s stories and secrets.
Kendall and Max can’t deny their growing bond, even though they both have other romantic entanglements and uncertain futures. As the clock counts down on New Year’s Eve, will they find themselves together at midnight?
*MY THOUGHTS*
Before reading this one, I was struggling with 2018 reads. I just kept starting and stopping them, just to start something else. Maybe it was the holiday, but for some reason this is exactly what I needed and I ended up reading it in two days!
“…when you really connect with a work of art, it doesn’t matter that a million people have already stood where you’re standing. The instant it means something to you, its yours.”12%
Kendall and Max both see an accident that will stay with them for a long time. This sparks something in them, to begin doing Random Acts of Kindness for strangers. But as the year winds down, Kendall and Max finds out how much fun they have together, but will they wind up together?
“…how can you tell when someone needs your kindness? If you don’t know someone personally, it’s really hard to identify these things. […] We’re all so used to keeping our shit together, we don’t show our weakness.”26%
My favorite part of this was the originality of the way the story was told. Not only was it told through the eyes of Kendall and Max, but it was also told through the strangers they helped. It was interesting to see some of theirs issues that they were going through. People don’t always think about the stranger, they’re more focused on their good deed and forget the reason they even wanted to do it.
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”26%
I also really liked that this was centered around New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Most books that are about a holiday are centered around Christmas, so this was a welcome change. It’s a small detail, but it’s a very welcome change from what people normally do.
“Sometimes you just have to take a step, and sometimes you have to take a leap, and either way, all that really matters is that you’re not standing still.”43%
The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the characters. They’re not really introduced to us. Castle gives us so many details about them, but we have no real back story of them. I would’ve loved to know more about Kendall and her anxiety. Without this information, I just didn’t feel fully connected to them.
“…kindness doesn’t always look or sound like kindness; sometimes it comes in disguise””67%
For the most part, this story was a really great one that I got lost in. It was the perfect holiday read to help me ring in the new year!
Overall, I give this
