Amy Giles

"Now is Everything" was not an easy read as Hayley struggles to survive her abusive father and protect her youngers sister from his wrath. Not only did Mr McCauley physically abuse Hayley, but there was mental, verbal and emotional abuse as well.

I was terrified he was going to permanently damage hayley in some way, especially when her found out about Charlie, her secret boyfriend and her only escape from her nightmares. Like Hayley herself, I was tense and on edge whenever he was around. To show more say I loathed him with every fibre of my being, would be an understatement, and I didn't have much time for Mrs McCauley either, who used alcohol to hide behind when she should have been standing up for her girls.

Hayley was an extremely well-written protagonist and I was drawn to her immediately. I shared her fear, her secrets, her despair and her her hopes and, from the start, I admired her strength of character and her determination to protect her little sister, Lila, at all costs. Lila was a feisty little thing and a breath of fresh air, although I found myself holding my breath at some of the rash things she said to her father.

The ending was interesting and left me pondering the moral dilemma. The reader knows something happened to put Hayley in hospital from the start, but it is only revealed close to the end, and I would never have predicted it. "Now is Everything" was a powerful, moving novel that had me engrossed from the first page. Despite the terribly dark moments throughout, the author id include some happier ones as well which brought a smile to my face. An absorbing read. show less

Hadley's life looks perfect from the outside. Her family is wealthy, and she's a successful athlete and student. What you don't see is that Hadley's father works at breaking her down, day after day, forcing her into playing lacrosse and taking flying lessons (his two passions), monitoring her whereabouts and food intake, berating and belittling her constantly, and much worse. Hadley endures it all though, if it keeps the spotlight off her beloved spitfire of a little sister, Lila. Hadley show more would do anything to keep her father's focus off of Lila. Lila's only ten--the age her father targeted his laser beam on her. Hadley's life improves, however, when she secretly starts dating Charlie Simmons. On the surface, Charlie's life isn't anything like hers--he's the son of a poor single mom, but the two quickly find they have more in common than they realize. Even better, Charlie gives Hadley something she hasn't had in a long time: hope. Then, Hadley is in a plane crash, which tragically leaves her family is dead. Only Hadley can tell everyone what happened, but she isn't divulging the details. What happened that day in the plane? And why would it cause Hadley--the only survivor--to want to take her own life?

This book. Oh this book. Wow. I completely overlooked this one on my ARC shelf, and for that, I deeply apologize. But, I'm so, so, so glad I did pick it up! This is an amazing, powerful, and heartbreaking book and easily one of my favorite books I've read this year.

Part of the power comes via its format, which seems simple on the surface. The novel and its details are all a slow build via a "then" and "now" format plus transcripts and bits of evidence from the crash investigator. All of our "then" and "now" portions come from Hadley's point of view and leave us constantly wondering. Why is her dad all over her? What makes him so evil? You are also left in utter confusion and suspense over exactly what happened during the crash (and why it happened). I read the second half in one sitting, staying up late to finish it. I simply had to know what happened to Hadley.

I credit this to Giles' writing, which is superb. You will get sucked in by Hadley extremely early. She's a well-written, compelling character, and it's nearly impossible not to become part of her life. In fact, rarely have I felt so strongly for characters in a novel in a long time. If I could have, I would have gone and rescued those children myself! I simply loved Hadley and her wonderful, feisty sister, Lila. The hate I felt for their horrible, abusive father--and, sometimes, their apathetic, passive mother, was insane. They felt like real people. I was completely involved.

In fact, those poor kids. The book actually made me feel tense just reading about their lives. It was so well-done that I read portions of it with a knot in my stomach. (As a note, there's definitely a trigger for abuse.) Watching Hadley try to protect her sister and live up to adult expectations far beyond her teen years--seriously, guys, it was heartbreaking and yet amazing to read. You will find yourself rooting for Hadley and Lila in an inexplicable way.

The ending on this one is interesting. I'm still pondering it. The fascinating thing about this book is that you know *something* has to have happened up in that plane, but you don't know exactly what, or how it all goes down. The ending made me go "wow." I'm not exactly sure it's what I would have chosen, but it still felt right somehow. Although I was so attached to Hadley, that I wish there was a sequel of sorts, because I still feel bonded to the girl. That's how well-done this novel was!

Overall, this is just a lovely book. Very, very rarely does a book make me cry. This one did. This is not a light read, no, but there are still funny moments, beautiful moments, and heartwarming moments among all the dark ones. You will not regret reading this book. Huge kudos to Amy Giles for writing such a powerful and wonderful novel that so deftly deals with abuse and aspects of mental illness. I feel like Hadley and Lila will stay with me for a long time. 4.5 stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 11/07/2017.

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“The sky is black and unwelcoming outside my bedroom window. It tells my body to go back to sleep, but even the heavens have no jurisdiction in this house.”

This was another emotional read - and it grabbed me by the heartstrings and pulled me in. Amy Giles’ debut Now Is Everywhere is the haunting story about survival. Told in a then-now format before and after a tragic accident, we follow Hadley McCauley as she tries to navigate life under the controlling thumb of her abusive father. I show more don’t really want to say much more, because I think it’s really best to go into this book not really knowing much. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed this book.

Things I Liked
We get some interviews woven throughout the story that really show both character personality and backstory to the tragic event the story opens up with. They immediately hooked me and they were some of my favorite parts.

I really liked the writing throughout the story! It was immersive and descriptive without being too lyrical. There’s nice creative almost poetic phrasing used in the “Now” sections of the story that sets it apart tonally without feeling disconnected. The then-now format really shows the full character journey of where started and where we end up. It drives the story well emotionally.

Hadley was a really easy character for me to connect to. We really get to see her deal with some heavy stuff emotionally, but I loved seeing her be lighter with her sister, Lila, her friends, and Charlie. I also love that she loves watching Cupcake Wars and cheesy disaster movies, because I can relate.

I really liked the romance we see develop between Hadley & Charlie. Their meet-cute is sufficiently adorable and filled with flirty banter, but we get to see them really open up to one another and develop feelings over time. I freaking LOVED that they discussed sex, birth control, and STI testing when they felt like they were ready to take that step in their relationship. And there is zero pressure from either side - it’s all very respectful and loving and I am so freaking here for safe sex and open communication in YA.

Things I Didn’t Like
Mean-girl Claudia was underdeveloped and one-dimensional. She honestly could have been left out of the story and it wouldn’t really have changed anything. Her role and it’s implications on other characters, could have been more fleshed out or left out, but she was mostly just there - being a nuisance.

Hadley becomes a bit of an absent friend and sister once she starts her relationship with Charlie. I get the honeymoon stage and everything, but I feel like I didn’t get to know Meagan and Noah as much as I could have, if she didn’t go MIA after getting with Charlie. But I do like that she was called out on it - always a plus.

Hadley’s dad is THE WORST. I can say nothing else about him, other than I wish him only bad things and he is one of the worst characters I have ever had the displeasure of coming across. He’s tied with Kiko’s mom from [b:Starfish|29456598|Starfish|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1485256458s/29456598.jpg|49731957] for worst parent ever award

This book was honestly really hard to read at times, Hadley’s father is a controlling and abusive piece of work. But I deeply enjoyed seeing Hadley’s journey and struggle. I connected with the characters - always a plus, and I was invested in the romance, which is always fun. Despite the heavy topics in the story, there were happier moments that were well balanced and never detracted from the seriousness of the subject matter. Now is Everything is an emotional story of overcoming abuse and finding love and happiness that pulls you in.

Trigger warnings for verbal and physical child abuse and suicidal thoughts and attempt

I received a copy of the book from HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review. show less

"That Night" focused on the aftermath of a school shooting. Jess and Lucas both lost their brothers in the shooting and were trying to deal with their grief and anger. The book was told in alternating chapters giving both Lucas and Jessica a voice, which is a format I enjoy, and I thought it worked successfully, allowing the reader into their innermost thoughts.

I quickly became invested in the lives of these two young people as they struggled with the tragedy, and I especially felt sorry for show more Jess as she was also dealing with the loss of her best friend, who had moved away, and her mother's debilitating depression. It was interesting to see how the various adults in the book also coped with this tragedy.

The romance between Jess and Lucas developed gradually which made it believable, unlike many YA romances, and the dialogue felt natural. I thought "That Night" was a engaging, solid read dealing with a very topical issue. show less