Blue Sky Days [NOOK Book]

Luna

Luna~ sorry the one befor this with the clouds

Amazing

My Thoughts:

Amazing.

That's my review... just kidding! Seriously though, this novel was amazing. Purely and completely amazing. I used to wonder what made people say that someone had a remarkable debut, but with Marie Landry I wonder this no more. Believe me, I'm not just gushing because I've gotten to know Marie a little bit over these last few months. I am being truly honest--her work can speak for itself.

There is something about Emma that sincerely appeals to the side of me that wants to not only do more, but be more. The journey she has taken on is entirely new to her--a new place, new people, new life. She's technically been an adult for a short time but it feels like much longer since she grew up fast. She missed out on so many of the little things, like a sunrise, and she learns to appreciate them.

Emma's relationship with Nicholas is one of the most beautiful ones I have read. Even as I am typing up this review, I am tearing up thinking about it. Nicholas sees how amazing Emma is, despite the fact that she feels she has nothing amazing about her at first. He sees what she really is, the person she can be, the one that can break through the walls she built up over the years that hid that person. They fall head over heels in love, and can you blame either of them? No, you can see from the start they were destined for each other.

When the knowledge of Nicholas having cancer comes into play, the entire focus of the story remains. Emma is right by his side, and their love plays a role in how things progress. They face the ups and downs of the illness, hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel. Faint glimmers of hope appear and disappear. Through thick and thin, Emma and Nicholas pull through just as strong as they were over the summer.

The story isn't just a love story between Emma and Nicholas. Emma's aunt Daisy plays a huge role that impacts Emma's very perspective. Nicholas introduces her to his friends Maggie and Vince, who are really cool people, and she meets his father Sam, too, who is just as sweet as Nicholas.

Along the way, Emma talks with her parents a little bit. Her mother is still attempting to control her in any way possible. Although her mother isn't very nice, her father tries to stay in touch. The way things end up with her and her parents is a very accurate depiction of reality. Not everything can be tied up into neat and pretty little bows, some things come undone and can never be put back together again. It doesn't matter what happens, but how you choose to react to these situations. Emma makes some brave choices that shape her into an incredible young woman.

Blue Sky Days is a journey beyond compare. A love story in every sense of the word, a larger than life lesson, a renewed sense of self. Marie Landry's storytelling ability connects the reader to the story to the point where their eyes cannot stray from the page. Yes, you will cry (I did). Yes, you may even sob (oh boy, I certainly did). But, you will never regret reading this novel (and I mean never). I, for one, am anxiously awaiting what else Marie has in store.

My Rating:

Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM

Emotional and Satisfying

I've been lucky in the last year or two, since I started reading new authors and genres, to absorb some amazing books, but none of them have touched me in the way that Blue Sky Days has. From the prologue, I was captivated, and as Marie Landry's debut novel spun a web of self-discovery, longing, and growth around me, I fell deeply in love with the setting, the plot, and the characters, especially the heroine, Emma Ward. Having graduated high school, but lacking the funds to venture on to college like the rest of her peers, Emma is stuck, watching her life pass her by. She's spinning her wheels. Emma was a character I identified with immediately. Her home life was nothing like mine, but the desire to do more, to BE more, to change who she was, I've been there. In so many ways, I connected with Emma, and I went on her journey with her.

Also heart-warming was watching Emma fall in love with Nicholas. Blue Sky Days is only 207 pages, but Marie Landry made every word, every scene and chapter, count. I never felt like it was the dreaded insta-love with Emma and Nicholas. Marie perfectly captured the high of first love, those moments when the other person can make you smile, even when they are just a brush across your thoughts. For all the authors who write about love and romance, Marie got it absolutely right, pinpointing with subtle grace what, exactly, first love and in this case, real love, is.

I also really admired the way Marie developed the relationships between Emma and the others in her life. Her aunt, Daisy, was so full of life, that it was infectious in a good way, and it was easy to see how much she and Emma loved one another. Daisy was such a good influence on Emma throughout Blue Sky Days, becoming Emma's rock, in some ways. Maggie and Vince were amazing friends for Emma, who learned through them what friendship was about. And Nicholas, who taught her so much about life - how to live it and how to love it - was so much more than a boyfriend. But what I applaud the most is that Emma, although she learns from all of the secondary characters, and leans on all of them in hard times, never becomes TOO dependent on anyone other than herself.

Blue Sky Days moves along nicely - pausing here and there to allow the reader time to fall deeper in love with the story being told - then picks up the pace, bringing me, literally, to the edge of my seat. At one point, I was shaking, because I knew what was coming, then because I had to know what was next. I shed tears of happiness, and tears of fear for the characters. For a short novel, Blue Sky Days was brimming with emotion, and it never felt fake. I've rarely come across a novel that clicked with me so powerfully; in some ways, I felt almost overwhelmed from how much I cared about the characters, especially Emma and Nicholas, by the end, but it was in a good way. Marie Landry made me FEEL something for her characters, and when I read the last page, I felt like I was saying not goodbye, but "see you when I see you" to friends.

Heart-felt And Delightful

Emma Ward has spent the last year after graduating from high school trying to make ends meet in hopes of making it into college. While her parents are able to help with such costs, she’s intent on going it alone in hopes of showing them she can truly make it on her own. When she comes to the realization that her future is still undecided, she makes the decision to spend sometime in Riverview with her Aunt Daisy.

This decision, unfortunately, does not sit well with her mother. Regardless of that fact, she continues with her plans and looks forward to what the future has to bring. Upon arriving on her Aunt’s doorstep, Emma feels optimistic. With a new place and a new beginning, she’s sure that something good is just around the corner.

When her aunt welcomes her with open arms, Emma looks forward to their time together. Old memories are soon remembered as the two reminisce about the past. Slowly letting go of her fears, she makes herself at home and sets out to explore her new home. While out one day, she comes across Nicholas Shaw, a boy who stirs her senses and makes her want to get to know him that much better.

Intrigued by him completely, she allows herself to befriend him, never once imagining he’d change her world completely. As the days go by, their relationship deepens and she finds herself falling in love with Nicholas as the minutes pass. Her world is everything she’d ever imagined and more until the moment Nicholas becomes ill.

Her entire world comes crashing down when Nicholas is diagnosed with cancer. Unwilling to take the easy way out, she’s determined to show him that she’ll be there for him no matter what. She does her best not to lose control as their relationship and faith is tested at every turn. Despite the bleak outlook, Emma knows she doesn’t have to face Nicholas’ ordeal alone. With the help of her friends and family, she realizes that miracles are always around the corner, only if you believe in them.

This was such a heart-felt and endearing story. I enjoyed every minute of it and cried when I learned Nicholas had fallen ill. Having lost several family members to cancer, I can very well understand Emma’s feelings and the hopelessness that ensues when we think we’re about to lose someone we love.

The love, pain, heartache, and despair are felt so clearly throughout the story. Marie is able to draw the reader into the world she’s created for her characters in such a way that it leaves you wanting to know more with every turn of the page. Marie’s writing flows quite beautifully and keeps us completely riveted. It’s that vivid! Totally recommend the book for reading.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.