Blog Tour Review: When We Were Infinite, Kelly Loy Gilbert

When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Published by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers on March 9, 2021
Genres: young adult, contemporary
Format: ARC
Source: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, NetGalley
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Wordery, Barnes & Noble, Publisher, Bookshop, Blackwell's
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All Beth wants is for her tight-knit circle of friends — Grace Nakamura, Brandon Lin, Sunny Chen, and Jason Tsou — to stay together. With her family splintered and her future a question mark, these friends are all she has — even if she sometimes wonders if she truly fits in with them. Besides, she’s certain she’ll never be able to tell Jason how she really feels about him, so friendship will have to be enough.
Then Beth witnesses a private act of violence in Jason’s home, and the whole group is shaken. Beth and her friends make a pact to do whatever it takes to protect Jason, no matter the sacrifice. But when even their fierce loyalty isn’t enough to stop Jason from making a life-altering choice, Beth must decide how far she’s willing to go for him—and how much of herself she’s willing to give up.
From award-winning author Kelly Loy Gilbert comes a powerful, achingly romantic drama about the secrets we keep, from each other and from ourselves, perfect for fans of Permanent Record and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.

I received this book for free from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

panic attacks, anxiety, suicide attempt, parental abuse, racism, homophobia, microaggressions.

☂️ DIVERSITY: Taiwanese-American MC, side characters, love interest. Chinese-American & Bisexual side character.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• Before heading into this review, a fair warning: When We Were Infinite is NOT an easy read, at all. It deals with a whole damn lot of tough topics (mentioned in my trigger warnings above) and, personally… it was triggering to me. Read with caution and take care of yourself, always.
• This is my first book by Kelly Loy Gilbert and I have to say: I get it. I get the hype surrounding the author and why I’ve been told to read Picture Us in the Light so many times, too. The author clearly has a way with words and especially with crafting three dimensional, realistic, complex characters you can feel everything for.
• I’m always craving stories about friendships and When We Were Infinite really puts it up front and center. I loved that. This story is about 5 friends in their senior year of high school, their close-knit group and how everything falls apart. The closeness between Beth, the main character, and her friends was so heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. It’s tough to know you found your people and to feel like you might lose them.
• From the start, I had a complicated relationship with Beth, given that, personally, I found a little too much of myself in her anxieties. That being said, I can’t deny that she was a compelling character and narrator and one you can really FEEL everything for. I also loved how real, three dimensional and complex she felt, how deeply I felt like I knew her and her thoughts, desires and fears by the end of the book.
• The relationships in this book were all lovely to follow, as well. In addition to the friendships, all unique and with their own dynamics, we get to follow’s Beth complex relationship with her mother, too.
• When We Were Infinite is about fitting in, about feeling like you can never be good enough, about being biracial and the Asian-American experience, about holding on when you should be letting go. It packs up a punch and will leave you breathless with emotions and feelings squeezing your heart okay. It’s a tough read, but it’s also a beautiful one.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…

☂️

• This is entirely a personal thing, but reading When We Were Infinite triggered me a little bit. There were moments I just had to take breaks because I just couldn’t handle it. So… yeah, unfortunately, that made my reading experience a little tough, at times.

OVERALL

☂️

If you’re looking for an emotional contemporary read with a great emphasis on friendship, I’d definitely recommend When We Were Infinite. If it ended up being a little bit of a tough read for me, I still recommend it if you can handle it!

FINAL RATING : 3,5 drops!

About Kelly Loy Gilbert

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Did you read When We Were Infinite or do you want to? What’s the latest YA contemporary you read and enjoyed? Let me know in comments!

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