ARC Book Review: 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons [Spoiler Free]

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Disclaimer: I received a free ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I was so excited to read 100 Days of Sunlight because it came highly recommended from one of my best reader friends. And I have to say, it did not disappoint. It was a cute contemporary romance with a unique premise, and featured some very lovable characters. Although the plot initially seemed a bit dark, the sunlight came beaming in as the novel progressed. It was a heartwarming story of learning how to move forward after tragedy strikes, and emphasized an important lesson for us all: that human compassion can change lives.

What it’s about:

The story centers around Tessa Dickinson, a sixteen year old poetry blogger who has just been in a car accident with her grandmother–an accident that the doctors say will leave her blind for the next (you guessed it) 100 days. She’s feeling pretty depressed because, you know, she can’t see, so her grandparents think it would be a good idea to hire someone her age who can help her continue writing poetry on her blog. Things get a bit crazy from there, and the situation leads her to meet a guy named Weston who wants to help. He wants to be there to help Tessa be optimistic about her new life until her sight returns, but with one condition: Tessa can never know what makes him different. The thing is, Weston’s not just a regular kid Tessa’s age. Well, he is, except for the fact that he’s missing a pair of legs. As Weston helps Tessa see the light in the dark, he’s able to experience something he hasn’t been able to in a long time: meet someone who sees him as he truly is, not as someone with a disability.

What I liked:

• The overall theme of the book. I feel like a lot of times I need stories to remind me that no matter how hard it is or how insignificant I feel, my actions and the kindness I attempt to show through them can really have an impact on the people around me. This was definitely one of those.
• I liked that there was depth to the plot in the sense that it wasn’t all cutesy romantic scenes; the scenes of her continuous struggle with blindness were so impactful, along with the flashbacks to Weston’s journey with his amputation.
• The family dynamic. It was nice to have a young adult character whose family (even if it wasn’t immediate) was an integral part of her life, especially because it’s something that isn’t seen too much.
• The poetry. Tessa’s perspective was written so well; I really believed that I was in the mind of someone who was a poetry blogger, because that’s how I imagine a poet might think. I loved how Emmons included Tessa’s poems in the book as they were quite enjoyable to read and made Tessa’s passion for writing much more striking.
• I loved all of the light and dark metaphors! I’m sure some people might have thought they happened too frequently and became a bit cheesy, but there were some really beautiful moments like this one, and I personally love flowery metaphors 😀

“Besides, no one has ever seen the light by being told there are darker places out there.”

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

What I didn’t like:

• Weston’s introduction: I wasn’t really a fan of the way Weston was introduced. I loved his character and all, but he seemed a bit overeager and suspiciously invested at first, and Tessa’s grandparents’ immediate acceptance of him was, in my opinion, a bit unrealistic. They let him go into a room alone with their blind granddaughter moments after they met him…I just don’t see that happening in today’s world, or at least anywhere I’ve lived.
• Weston’s character depth: Although we got to know Weston a good deal more than other contemporary love interests as a result of the flashbacks, I would have loved to see more of his flaws. It was obvious he was struggling with how people saw him which led to one of the conflicts at the end of the novel, but other than that he seemed to be unrealistically perfect in every way.
• The homogeneous writing style. The story was told through both Weston and Tessa’s perspectives, but both were written in the same poetic style so much so that I don’t know if I would be able to tell who said something between the two if I was given a random quote. I mean I loved the sentence “my brothers were like individual rays of sunshine,” but it sounded like something Tessa would say, not Weston.

I’m not sure how I feel about…

• There seemed to be a big emphasis on making sure we knew Tessa was different and special because of certain qualities she possessed (being a poetry blogger, not wanting to post about her life on the internet, etc.). The thing is though, everyone’s different and special in their own ways.

Overall

An inspirational example of the impact of human compassion, 100 Days of Sunlight comes out on August 7th of this year, and I highly recommend putting it on your TBR if you’re in the mood for a sweet & different contemporary romance 🙂

Thanks so much for reading! Let me know your thoughts about the book down below if you’ve also read an ARC, or whether or not you plan to read it when it comes out! Also, what do you think of the cover?

<3, g