Opposite of Always (2019)

by Justin A. Reynolds

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Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
677	19	34,348	(3.65)	4
Romance. Science Fiction & Fantasy. Humor (Fiction.) Young Adult Fiction. HTML: "One of the best love stories I've ever read." �??Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give "Read this one, reread it, and then hug it to your chest." �??Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Debut author Justin A. Reynolds delivers a hilarious and heartfelt novel about the choices we make, the people we choose, and the moments that make a life worth reliving. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and John Green. When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he's falling�??hard. Soon she's meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. But then Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate's death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate's there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn't sure if he's losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate's death, he'll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he's willing to do to save the people he lo… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)

I loved this so so so much!!! I'm such a suckers for these plot devices, but the ending was absolutely perfect, the composite piece was gorgeous, and though super cheesy, I loved how Jack changed. I loved the friendships and how all the characters were drawn out. I loved how many ways of getting it wrong there was. I loved the banter and the way Jack and Kate talked. But I wanted more of the mundane details of what life was like--come on, he must have gotten SO bored of the same few months, right? Why not invest in stocks at some point and learn how to gamble himself? At any point did he go travel the world? Did he buy new socks? Did he play pranks? I know, I know, these would be boring to read about, but I'm still curious. Can't wait to read more from Reynolds. (

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whakaora | Mar 5, 2023 |

I believe Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds came up on my recommendations after I read another similar YA romance/time travel/Ground Hog's Day inspired title See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon.
I am glad for the rec! I really enjoyed them back-to-back.

While the premise and even covers are somewhat similar, the events in this title are more heartfelt/exposed/raw/dire and less sweet/huggable.

The ending of this one was a bit confusing/meta to me, hence 4.5 instead of 5 stars. But I did feel deeply for the learning curve/arc(s) of Jackie as the novel progresses. (

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deslivres5 | Nov 6, 2022 |

This book was wonderful. It has a Groundhog Day premise and reliving the day over and over again until you "get it right" and I'm always a sucker for any kind of time-travel storyline. The first time through the "timeline" I almost forgot it was going to start over because I was just so invested in all the characters and their current arcs. I loved all of the characters in this book which is refreshing after what felt like an interminable spell of unreliable narrator books last year. I think it is also difficult to write and rewrite the same story over and over again and keep it interesting but this was very well done. I was vested in the new twists that each new timeline would bring about while also hoping for the final outcome to be one I wanted. A sweet and fun read that I highly recommend. (

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JediBookLover | Oct 29, 2022 |

In Opposite of Always, Jack meets Kate at a party and it's fireworks from the start. But then Kate dies. Instead of that being the ending, Jack gets sent back to the steps where he meets Kate and they do it all over again. He wants to save Kate's life, no matter what, but Jack soon finds out that every action has a consequence.

I just never really made a connection with this book. At first I didn't like the main character - I sometimes struggle with male YA voices and them coming across as whiny to me - but then it was the fact he didn't seem to learn anything from his previous times (he would mention how he did this, but then in the next go around, he just did a variation of that same thing), then it was just... missing something.

I did like Kate... sometimes... but otherwise I just wasn't that big of a fan of anyone else in the story.

I was also annoyed at the ending. Not to ruin anything about it but I was just annoyed with it. (

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oldandnewbooksmell | Sep 24, 2021 |

Loved Jack King. He is a lovable character who will take chances and risks for the one he loves. (

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AdwoaCamaraIfe | Jul 27, 2021 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Justin A. Reynolds	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Fitzsimmons, Erin	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Singleton, Stephanie	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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2019

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Rosenthal, Ben

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Romance. Science Fiction & Fantasy. Humor (Fiction.) Young Adult Fiction. HTML:

"One of the best love stories I've ever read." �??Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give

"Read this one, reread it, and then hug it to your chest." �??Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Debut author Justin A. Reynolds delivers a hilarious and heartfelt novel about the choices we make, the people we choose, and the moments that make a life worth reliving. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and John Green.

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he's falling�??hard. Soon she's meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack.

But then Kate dies. And their story should end there.

Yet Kate's death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate's there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn't sure if he's losing his mind.

Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate's death, he'll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he's willing to do to save the people he lo

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