I was sent a copy of this (ebook) for free in return for an honest review.
Tessa is 16 years old, homeschooled and a poetry blogger. She lives at home with her grandparents who have raised her since birth. (Her father is unknown and her mother moved away to find work.) One day Tessa and her grandmother are involved in a car accident, being hit by a drunk driver and as a result of the accident Tessa experiences temporary blindness.
Her reaction, as I'm sure most peoples would be is panic, self hatred and a longing to stay safe, safe inside her home. She is unhappy and frustrated at not being able to see and do the things she used to do. Her grandparents think the best thing for her is to get her back blogging again, but how can she when she can't see? They go to place an ad in a local paper asking for an assistant, but Tessa finds out and makes them pull the ad before it's published.
Weston is also 16 years old and helping at his dad's workplace (the newspaper) when he hears about Tessa and sees the ad. He decides that if allowed, he feels like he could be the one to help Tessa through her darkest moments. He visits Tessa's house and speaks to her grandparents who agree to allow him to speak to Tessa.
Tessa is reluctant, rude, stubborn and initially will not allow Weston into her life. She fights his every word, but he too is stubborn and persists, coming around to the house day after day, giving Tessa no choice to but listen to what he has to say. He takes Tessa on a journey showing her that losing her sight isn't as bad as she first thought, that there are other ways that she can experience the world, through her other senses, with him at her side.
The things he does for Tessa are so sweet and so well thought out, the flowers, the polaroid, the support. It's inevitable where the story leads, yes they fall in love with each other even though Tessa never sees Weston until the very end. The romance in this story is naive and lovely, that first love feeling and the story is beautifully written by Abbie Emmons. Yes, there are some swear words in it but in contrast to the situations they are describing, I don't think they are out of context at all.
Even though the story focuses on Tessa's situation, it was Weston's story that got me, I may have cried a few tears at his story and why he feels it so important to help Tessa. He is put across as a cheeky teenage boy, overly confident, popular, full of life but underneath it all he hides a very different person.
This book is beautifully written and is aimed at young adults and teens, but is also suitable for adults. I loved it, it was very emotive which I don't get with a lot of books, but this one I definitely did! Have the tissues ready when you're reading it, it won't disappoint. A cleverly thought out plot line, great characters and a fantastic story.
Oh and the cover, that's what draws me to a book normally and this one didn't disappoint, it was very cleverly thought through with everything in the story included on it - even the waffles!
I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.
Thank you to ARC publishers and Netgalley for giving me this free copy.
101 Days of Sunlight is available from the 8th August 2019.
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