Abbie Emmons

When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down. Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile...and no legs. Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks he can help her. But he has one condition -- no one can tell Tessa about his disability. And because she can't see him, she treats him with contempt: screaming at him to get out of her house and never come back. But for Weston, it's the most amazing feeling: to be treated like a normal person, not just a sob story. So he comes back. Again and again and again. Tessa spurns Weston's "obnoxious optimism", convinced that he has no idea what she's going through. But Weston knows exactly how she feels and reaches into her darkness to show her that there is more than one way to experience the world. As Tessa grows closer to Weston, she finds it harder and harder to imagine life without him -- and Weston can't imagine life without her. But he still hasn't told her the truth, and when Tessa's sight returns he'll have to make the hardest decision of his life: vanish from Tessa's world...or overcome his fear of being seen. 100 Days of Sunlight is a poignant and heartfelt novel by author Abbie Emmons. If you like sweet contemporary romance and strong family themes then you'll love this touching story of hope, healing, and getting back up when life knocks you down.

100 Days of Sunlight

, I was in the mood for something light, easy, and maybe a little cheesy. You know, the kind of book you can breeze through while sipping a coffee and pretending you’re not actually putting off more important tasks. And for the most part, this novel delivered exactly what I was looking for: a heartfelt story with a healthy dose of romance and all those cute tropes that make you sigh a little.

From the start, I found myself surprisingly invested, even though young adult isn’t typically my go-to genre. There was a certain charm to the story, a kind of cozy warmth that made me want to curl up and keep reading. The prose was straightforward and accessible, perfect for anyone who’s just starting their reading journey.

But... (you knew this was coming, right?) it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. As much as I wanted to fall head over heels for this book, I found myself tripping over a few too many potholes. The characters, especially Tessa, the female protagonist, were just not as developed as they should have been. For someone going through such significant hardships, Tessa came across as whiny and annoying more often than relatable. I wanted to root for her, but she made it difficult at times.

And then there’s Weston. Now, I get it—he’s supposed to be mysterious, complex, and all that jazz, but the lengthy monologues about his past felt like they were trying too hard. At some points, I wondered if he was actually the main character instead of Tessa. It was like the book couldn’t decide who it wanted me to care about more, and in the end, I didn’t feel like I really knew either of them.

The poetry? Well, let’s just say I’m not a poet, and I’m definitely not a poetry critic (is that even a thing?). It didn’t really resonate with me, but I won’t hold it against the book because I’m clearly not the target audience for that aspect.

 is a fun read, especially if you’re young or new to the world of novels. It’s got a lot of heart, even if it misses a beat or two. While I might not have fallen in love with it, I’d still recommend it to someone looking for a light, feel-good story. Just be prepared for a few bumps along the way.

Jehan Chawla

When I picked up 100 Days of Sunlight, I was in the mood for something light, easy, and maybe a little cheesy. You know, the kind of book you can breeze through while sipping a coffee and pretending you’re not actually putting off more important tasks. And for the most part, this novel delivered exactly what I was looking for: a heartfelt story with a healthy dose of romance and all those cute tropes that make you sigh a little.

From the start, I found myself surprisingly invested, even though young adult isn’t typically my go-to genre. There was a certain charm to the story, a kind of cozy warmth that made me want to curl up and keep reading. The prose was straightforward and accessible, perfect for anyone who’s just starting their reading journey.

But... (you knew this was coming, right?) it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. As much as I wanted to fall head over heels for this book, I found myself tripping over a few too many potholes. The characters, especially Tessa, the female protagonist, were just not as developed as they should have been. For someone going through such significant hardships, Tessa came across as whiny and annoying more often than relatable. I wanted to root for her, but she made it difficult at times.

And then there’s Weston. Now, I get it—he’s supposed to be mysterious, complex, and all that jazz, but the lengthy monologues about his past felt like they were trying too hard. At some points, I wondered if he was actually the main character instead of Tessa. It was like the book couldn’t decide who it wanted me to care about more, and in the end, I didn’t feel like I really knew either of them.

The poetry? Well, let’s just say I’m not a poet, and I’m definitely not a poetry critic (is that even a thing?). It didn’t really resonate with me, but I won’t hold it against the book because I’m clearly not the target audience for that aspect.

All things considered, 100 Days of Sunlight is a fun read, especially if you’re young or new to the world of novels. It’s got a lot of heart, even if it misses a beat or two. While I might not have fallen in love with it, I’d still recommend it to someone looking for a light, feel-good story. Just be prepared for a few bumps along the way.

Martyna

Macy Johnson

This book was one of the most incredible novels I've ever read. It rivals my love for some of my very favorites. It was absolutely breathtaking, and unlike anything that I've read before. I would recommend it to anyone. Just lovely.

This book TRIES to do what 'This Might Hurt A Bit" did. But it unfortunately, in my personal opinion, falls short. It's a lighthearted, emotional book but it's not for me. The characters are sixteen years old and both have gone trauma, have dealt with grief but they were too mature in handling them. I understand that there are people like that but they're 16. <Spoiler> Weston was 13 when he lost his legs </spoiler> so I wanted them to be angry. I wanted them to go through mood swings. And come to terms with the fact that they can't see/walk. It's difficult to relate to these characters when they're all sunshine and rainbow. 

<Spoiler> Also there was a scene where Weston goes "get your hand off of my girl" and I'm like cringe fest dude Jesus </spoiler>

Teeeeeesha

This book TRIES to do what 'This Might Hurt A Bit" did. But it unfortunately, in my personal opinion, falls short. It's a lighthearted, emotional book but it's not for me. The characters are sixteen years old and both have gone trauma, have dealt with grief but they were too mature in handling them. I understand that there are people like that but they're 16. <Spoiler> Weston was 13 when he lost his legs </spoiler> so I wanted them to be angry. I wanted them to go through mood swings. And come to terms with the fact that they can't see/walk. It's difficult to relate to these characters when they're all sunshine and rainbow. 

<Spoiler> Also there was a scene where Weston goes "get your hand off of my girl" and I'm like cringe fest dude Jesus </spoiler>

celene

ohmygas,,, this maybe is one of the best books ive read this year 😩 

omg!!! pretty cover for a pretty dang good book!!! yes!!! wooo 

(anyway)

-it felt like i was like watching a really really gooood movie mygas 😩 there’s just so many scenes that are just poetic cinema honestly * chef’s kiss*

-ok so let’s talk about my precious soft dorky babie son weston ludovico 😩 i love him mygas like from the get-go with just reading how he interacts with his dad, he just exudes this caring, thoughtful, understanding energy that is just soft 😩 like im literally crying because how bc his heart is,,, i love his dorky sense of humor or basically being dorky in general lolers,,, i love how he cares for his parents and his brothers uwu :((( i love youUuUuuu sweet babie boi (if u love kenji kishimoto &/or mike wheeler u will love him for sure :((( )

-rudy x weston,,, yeah what a duo,,, love the friendship uwu all for their bromance uwu

-i love the representation of people with disability here!! :(( it was done so well :((

-i love how the mcs have so much depth i cri theyre just so relatable i love u my babies and im proud of u bbs uwu :((

-i love babbling!Weston uwu it kinda reminded me of mike wheeler in the grocery scene :(( 

-and even though it got teeny tiny bit cheesy towards the end,,, mygas they deserve the rights!!! they happy and in love!!! they deserve it uwu 

-and yep this made me cry a few times,,, it was great :(((( and laugh!!! awee

Fran Gutiérrez

** spoiler alert **
           First of all I'd like to say that I am always weary of internet personalities writing books or music, even if Abbie is more a writer than a YouTuber. Because of this, I always try to be painstakingly honest with myself when reading youtuber's books. That being said, this was a VERY promising debut. You can definitely tell it's her first published novel, but it is a great first novel. The themes are explored very nicely, and the romance is innocent and sweet. It's cute and fun and optimistic, and does a great job of exploring the wonders of life and friendship. I only wish it had had higher stakes. Even during the point in the book where the characters were supposed to be at their lowest, the problem didn't feel soul crushing, and so the happy ending felt a bit flat. A little undeserved. But that is me being nitpicky. As a whole, I loved the book, and would definitely recommend to people who enjoy teen YA romance contemporaries.

Mary Garza

Beth Livingston

Wow, what a great book!!! I love this story and the characters. I really don't have words to describe how good this book is. Abbie Emmons did such a beautiful job writing it. I'm left with wanting to read more!

Alex Najera 

ABBIE OMG THIS WAS SO CUTE!!!! is been a long time since a blushed and screamed at the characters, the best time to read this story is during summer but it warmed my cold heart during this spring (i live at the other side of the Ecuador line) i love that you can tell that is a debut but is so well prepared and written. I’m following Abbie’s theory in how to construct an story and she does everything that she preach in her book. 10/10 100% recommended 

Megan Leprich

Thank you so much to Abbie Emmons for sending me a free copy of your book for my honest review! 

You guys, I don’t even know how to put into words how much I loved this book. It was sad, sweet, cute, lyrical, and romantic all rolled into one. 

This story follows Tessa as she gets in a car accident and loses her sight. Doctors reassure her it’s just temporary and her sight will come back but she’s having a negative outlook on it and doesn’t want to get her hopes up. As a successful poet and blogger, she feels she has nothing left since the one thing she loves to do is now hindered by her being blind. Her grandparents decide to put an ad in the paper for someone to help transcribe her poetry and try to make her happy but she immediately tells them to pull it. The son of the owner of the newspaper, Weston, sees the ad and thinks he may be able to help her as he’s living with his own disability, which Tessa doesn’t know about. 

I was immediately drawn into this book as I haven’t read many books about the main character having a disability, let alone being blind. I instantly loved Tessa’s character even when she was being stubborn and wouldn’t accept anyone’s help. But if I can be honest, Weston was my favorite character by far. He relentlessly came to her house to try and bring her out of her shell even when she was extremely rude and shot down every idea he had. He was so sweet and so funny and didn’t let his own disability cloud his judgement on life. 

Another thing I loved about this book was the poetry mixed in and how lyrical some of the writing was. The poetry was beautiful and even when the author’s words weren’t in verse, it was amazing to read. Most YA books I’ve read have just decent writing and wording but Abbie’s were beautiful and honestly a joy to read. 

I had to keep myself from crying at the ending and thinking about it still gives me the chills. I read this in about 7 hours and I really want to reread it again just to experience everything. I have already ordered a hard copy of it and can’t wait to receive it so I can annotate all the amazing parts.

SnarkByThePage

I generally sprinkle a bit of YA into my reading, as I like the optimism it brings to the page. This book was certainly that, optimistic. Throughout the read when I heard a little voice in my head ask for a bit more depth of feeling, I told it to shush. Reminded it that I was reading YA and I should appreciate it for the genre it was. The thing is, that little voice popped up a lot, and as a result, the story felt a bit shallow as a whole. 

I liked the concept of this Cinderella tale. People forced to get to know each other for their true selves before being exposed to some damning aspect of their world isn't a new concept, but this was a cute twist on it. This might just be a case where I've found a YA novel that truly can really only be appreciated by the target demo for YA....and I'm a bit too cynical to be that. 

I recommend it to a younger, idealistic reader, and it's a clean story in a sea of YA novels that aren't so lily white. I struggled with not really liking Tessa, and really thinking that Weston was a great guy....so the match was a tough one for me to urge on.

-- ARC provided by Net Galley in exchange for review

Alicia Haws

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
4.5 STARS

This book was... wow. It was just one of those books that just grabs your heart and doesn't let go. 

100 Days of Sunlight is the story of Tessa- a poetry writer and blogger who, after being involved in a car accident, has temporarily lost her eyesight. This was a fantastic YA debut. It had me on a rollercoaster of emotions. I laughed, and cried, even got a little mad. When a novel can touch me in so many different ways, I know it will always be a favorite. 

[The Plot]
This was a nice and easy YA read. The writing flowed nicely and the timing was good. I loved the little touches of poetry throughout. I loved how this novel depicts positivity during hardship. There was a good balance of the serious and the lighthearted comedy aspect. Overall I found the plot to be beautifully written and meaningful. Because Weston doesn't want Tessa to know about his own disability, this truly makes the story both ironic and entertaining. It also created nice suspense for us as a reader, as Tessa gets closer to getting her eyesight back.

[The Characters]
Tessa: Tessa is stubborn and obviously upset with the hand she's been dealt. But she is also loveable and her growth and transformation throughout the book was empowering. She isn't the fierce "strong female lead" as typical in some YA novels, but she is REAL. She doesn't always make the right choices or say the right things, but her relatability and humanity was a nice change to read and I really loved her.

Weston: Weston is the stand out character in this novel. Like Tessa, he is also a very real and relatable character. He is very different from most teenage male MC's in that he is very mature and wise for his age, and almost comes off as being in his 20's instead of a teenager in High School. Weston has the most beautiful outlook on life for a 16-year-old, and it is truly awe-inspiring. It is an outlook that I would love to be able to apply even in my adult life. Wes chooses to deal with his trials through love and humility, and it was quite refreshing. 

I will note however that while I did like the maturity of the MC's, I also feel that at certain points the MC's, particularly Weston came off as TOO mature for their age. In these flashbacks of his history, he is 13 years old, and he still sounds closer to 20 when he talks and thinks. These parts just didn't come off sounding 100% right and are literally my only complaint with the book and the only reason I knocked off half a star. 

[The Romance]
The romance aspect of this novel was so intriguing to read as it played out. Since Tessa doesn't know about Weston's legs, I felt that the story was made more romantic, because it is clear that their relationship is much deeper than just physical attraction. 

This novel was phenomenal and without a doubt a new favorite. It is a meaningful story of growth and positivity through the hardest times in life. It is accepting that you have a disability, but you are NOT your disability. 100 Days of Sunlight made me think of my senses in a whole new light and appreciation. I highly recommend this book because it's a thought-provoking message, and an emotionally charged story is well worth the read.

Special thanks to NetGalley & Abbie Emmons for providing me with the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and thoughts.

Content: Mild teen language, some Christian perspective (Grandfather is a pastor) such as God, prayer and church service.

Erin 

3.5 stars

You know those books that you don't really want to like, but you do? Not because they're bad, but because the genre or the premise or the general feel isn't something you typically go for? That's how I feel about this book, in a nutshell. I don't particularly enjoy YA contemporary extensively anymore. Yet somehow, I came across this book and convinced myself to read it. I wondered about it a bit at first, but ultimately by the time I finished, I was giggling like a mad schoolgirl with glee. 

The first thing I noticed is that 100 Days of Sunlight doesn't seem to have a traditional publisher, which I'm pretty sure means it's self-published. In a way, I feel like I owe a bit more to the author to review it, because they don't have that support from an established publishing house. However, that doesn't mean that it's less good than any book that does. I would even argue that it has made the author try even harder to write a good novel, and it does feel that way. It was clear to me at the beginning that the author had a detailed, well-planned outline and was very much trying to follow it step by step. There's a bit of a lack of polish that a traditional publisher would bring, but it's hardly noticeable (and only if you're looking for it).

As much as I love the premise in the summary, I was a little unimpressed with the grandparents at the beginning, especially once I realised how appalled Tessa was at the idea of the newspaper ad. It did feel a bit invasive and controlling. That being said, I also didn't really enjoy how everyone seemed to have a different idea about what was best for Tessa, without actually asking her how she felt. This eventually extends to Weston too, and is honestly probably my least favourite part of the book overall. Especially at the beginning, the way he was written like he knew everything about Tessa already. I think this is the trouble with writing a book in two different perspectives - just because the reader is aware of everything happening to both people, doesn't mean they know that much about each other. It might be a pain to read about Tessa explaining everything in her life to Weston after we already heard about it from her perspective, but that's better than your main love interest acting as if he was lurking about all along. He also acts as if he had the right to be there. To know Tessa's story. To be a part of it. By ignoring her desires and doing the bidding of her grandparents, he is contributing to the concept that she is not capable of making her own decisions, or that she does not have the mental capacity to do so. Which was quite frustrating and not a good opening to one of your main characters.

Anyway, that was all something I found within the first few chapters. It actually scales down a bit after that and becomes less noticeable. I just found it a bit uncomfortable that no one seemed to be considerate of Tessa's feelings. But over the course of the book I found myself caring less and less about the minute details, and focusing more on the cute storyline and inevitable romance subplot. It's a cute contemporary YA romance. Not everything needs to be analysed out the ying-yang (that being said, I did do a double take when there was a slight reference to a meme, and even more shocked when I realised I was capable of recognising meme references in fiction). 

Let's talk about Tessa though. I loved Tessa. I thought she was a great character with a great character arc over the course of the book. She starts out angry, and rightfully so. The sense of sight is the sense I would least like to lose, out of all the possibilities. She's vulnerable and can no longer do what she loves, which is writing poetry. Not only that, but as a blogger whose friends are mostly found through the internet, she can't communicate with them. She's not just vulnerable because she cannot see, but she is socially isolated as well. I love the fact that she is using Siri to ask questions about the time or the weather. But she was also written to serve a purpose at times, which felt a bit frustrating. During the first section of the book, Weston brings her flowers that are fragrant so she can begin to experience the world through her other senses (I will go into detail about how cute I think that is in a sec). At one point she makes a comment about what is the point of flowers if you cannot see them, which I feel is just a disservice to her character. I get it, you want to emphasize the fact that she needs to overcome this hurdle, but you don't have to make your characters dumb to do it. 

But I promise things get better!! About halfway through the book, it gets ADORABLY cute. Largely because Tessa is starting to come out of her shell and rely upon Weston to share the world with her and become her eyes. There's one part where they go out for coffee, Tessa's first outing after her accident, and she realises that he didn't get himself a coffee so that he could not just hold her hand, but also her coffee so that she still had a free one to explore and feel things. How cute is that? 

So each section is based on one of the five senses, and how Weston helps Tessa through her blindness by strengthening these other senses. Which is impossibly adorable. By the time they get to touch, I am head over heels and reminding myself that Weston is only 16 and I am an adult and should he really be making me feel such things? Which is bonkers, because remember how I felt about him at the beginning? Don't worry, he still does have a few moments that are insufferable (but that's mostly just a side effect of being a teenage boy). And then there's also the self-deprecation and how he essentially abandons Tessa once she gets her sight back because he doesn't think he is worthy of love because he has no legs. On that note though, there is one part I found chuckle-worthy, which is when Tessa realises he is hiding something. It's his legs, Tessa. It's because he has no legs. Anyway, of course they end up falling in love with each other despite Tessa's anger issues and Weston's lack of legs, and there's an incredibly heartwarming reuniting scene where Tessa finally sees him for the first time. And she bursts into tears and heartfelt declarations of love (what I do especially love about that scene is even though it's about Tessa realising Weston's disability, it's not actually mentioned in writing, like at all? Which was just kinda cool).

Despite all the things and grievances I clearly did not enjoy, I did finish this book, which says a lot, because that's not always a guarantee. And honestly, most of the things I pointed out are probably not important to the average reader. So, should you read this? Yes, probably, especially if you enjoy suppressing your inner teenage squealing when you realise how much you also wish you had a cute boy to teach you how to embrace life through the senses and why couldn’t my teenage years involve that kind of cuteness?

100 Days of Sunlight

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