Book Review: If You Were Here, Abigail Johnson

Is this me being back to blogging? Who knows… Anyhow, let’s start things off with a little review, shall we?

If You Were Here by Abigail Johnson
Published by HarperCollins Genres: contemporary, mystery, young adult
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads

A charming and emotional standalone grumpy/sunshine romance set during a Nantucket summer. Lili needs Wren's help to complete her father's research and save her family's reputation--but working together leads to more discoveries than either of them bargained for.

Lili Gardner hasn’t been back to Nantucket, her dad’s favorite place, since her parents divorced six years ago. But Dad passed away recently, leaving her a house on the island and an unsolved mystery about a maligned Gardner ancestor. Lili is determined to finish his life’s work, and convinces her mom and sister to spend the summer in Nantucket with her while she looks for answers, and for a connection to her dad.

Wren McCleave has a passion for history, but his father refuses to showcase anything real in their tourist trap of a “museum.” So when Lili asks Wren for help with her research, Wren can’t resist the opportunity to throw himself into something real, even if he dislikes tourists on principle.

Lili and Wren only have a summer to find out the truth about Lili’s ancestor. But the most surprising truths they uncover aren’t about the distant past, but about themselves right here in the present, and about what they want out of the future.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS: (click to reveal)

mention of a death of a parent.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• One of my favorite things about Abigail Johnson’s books is that damn, this author knows how to write feelings well. She writes characters that are complex, three dimensional, that feel realistically all thorough the book, no matter how complex the situations are. You just get it. You get the story, okay, but most of it all, you get the character’s situations, feelings and why. It’s raw and realistic and just so, damn real. Once again in If You Were Here, the author managed to convey such real feelings. I think that’s what makes me love this author’s books so much. It feels like you’re reading about real people and I love it.
• This book made me feel like it was summer already, as well, its Nantucket setting easily coming alive on the page. I loved the place but, most of it all, I loved how the author made it come alive by making its history such a prominent part of the plot.
• The characters were all really fun to follow, but what stood out for me were the relationships between them. I felt like the feelings slowly growing between Lili and Wren, a classic grumpy sunshine trope, were realistic and, most of it all, well handled given the complex situation. It could have easily turned into a cheating trope, something that would have made this book lose a few points for me, but thankfully it did not, at all. Everything felt well handled, and, most of it all, painted such a realistic picture of how complex relationships can be at times.
• Special mention for the family that plays such a lovely, heartwarming part in this story, from the mother to Lili’s little sister, that warmed my heart so damn much.
• There is a part of fun mystery in the story, one that, for me, brought a little more excitement, but certainly didn’t overshadow the characters. They were the real stars of this book.

OVERALL

☂️

I had such a fun time reading If You Were Here and highly recommend it to any fans of thoughtful, deeply realistic and heartwarming YA contemporary stories.

FINAL RATING : 4,5 stars!

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Did you read If You Were Here, or do you want to? Do you have any YA contemporary books to recommend? Let me know in comments!

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