Name: Grace O'Callaghan's review of The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Item: The Sky is Everywhere
Rating: 4
Author: Grace O'Callaghan

Jandy Nelson

Lennie plays second clarinet in the school orchestra and has always happily been second fiddle to her charismatic older sister, Bailey. Then Bailey dies suddenly, and Lennie is left at sea without her anchor. Overcome by emotion, Lennie soon finds herself torn between two boys: Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, and Joe, the charming and musically gifted new boy in town. While Toby can't see her without seeing Bailey and Joe sees her only for herself, each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. But ultimately, it's up to Lennie to find her own way toward what she really needs-without Bailey. A remarkable debut novel perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block.

The Sky is Everywhere

In the months after her sister dies, seventeen-year-old Lennie falls into a love triangle and discovers the strength to follow her dream of becoming a musician.

The Sky Is Everywhere

Daisy Glazebrook 

Grace O'Callaghan

The sky is everywhere

Marz 

Overrated book, I despised the main character , they was very little to like about her and the plot was drab to me, this is only a good book if you are someone who doesn't read very often and like to pretend you do by posting fake deep quotes everywhere. As this book is absolutely full of meaningless quotes. The notes left by Lennie was a cute touch but does not make up for how drab this book was.

chloe rae

Re-read 2018:
Still in love with this book and it’s messy, heart-breaking and heart-warming story. I love Jandy’s writing so much and only hope I can one day fall in love with a boy as magical and bright as Joe Fontaine.


Original review:
This book is stunning. Absolutely stunning. I can't stop thinking about it. The characters, the writing, the poetry; just EVERYTHING about this book is beautiful. It's about a girl dealing with the loss of her sister and finding herself and true love in the process. But, more importantly, it's about everything else in-between as well. 
Ugh, I loved this book. Everything was just so...real. All the relationships and situations were so real and though heartbreaking, believable. Same with the characters. They were striking and strange, crazy and sincere but very authentic. I feel like I got to know them. I got to understand them. I grew with Lennie, the main character, on her journey. I felt the desperation for Toby, the absolute love for Joe (Joe is life), and the hurt and sadness for her sisters death. I fell in love with all the characters in this book, honestly. I LOVED Gram and Big. They were these two strong, vulnerable people that I wish I could have a conversation with.
And the poetry! All of it was just so breathtaking. It was like taking an extra little peak into Lennie's mind and how she was really feeling. I also liked how it tied into the story, and proved to be a very nice component.
The aspect I think I enjoyed the most, though, was the fact that all the main characters made mistakes. They messed up, sometimes in huge ways, but that just showed that they're human. And instead of letting their mistakes ruin their lives, they learned from them. They decided to grow from them. I find that very admirable, and honest. I could see everything that happened in this book happening in real life and that's pretty amazing. Most definitely worth the read!

Just a really good book. I loved the love triangle. 

Payton Washer

Annika Arguemore

Quirky, poignant and endearing. One of those rejuvenating reads you'd just love to read all over and over and over again. This book reminded me so much of If I Stay & Where She Went. It's like those 2 books wound up into one! Love it. It's gotten into my top 3 favourite books of all time.

★★★★ // a good contemporary piece on the dysfunctionalities of families; how we all have different ways to confront grief. mixes personal faith and religious belief in an interesting manner. also, it did a pretty good job to resolve the central conflict.

Adrift after her sister Bailey's sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey's boyfriend who shares her grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs... though she knows if the two of them collide her whole world will explode. Join Lennie on this heartbreaking and hilarious journey of profound sorrow and mad love, as she makes colossal mistakes and colossal discoveries, as she traipses through band rooms and forest bedrooms and ultimately right into your heart. As much a celebration of love as a poignant portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable.

Heart wrenching book but I was so happy at the ending. Just let me stares off at the distance for a while and cry over this book

Shaz

omg my friend suggested this book. i thought it will be some kind of cringe-cliché love story, but woah, i giggled a lot!!! cute plot line. i love how they connect the dots. all this time, there is some invisible string tying to them. but sorry, do you ever forgive someone who cheat on you in front of your eyes? for me, whatever the reason is, they will never have second chance.

Hannah Yang

If I heal, doesn't that mean I've accepted the world without her?

When Lennie's sister Bailey dies, everything dies with her. Lennie doesn't know how to move on, and she won't let anyone else in. Until Toby. Until Joe. Toby was her sister's boyfriend, and the two were so in love that it frustrated Lennie most of the time. Joe is the new kid in town, an incredible magician, with a smile that lights up the world. The Sky Is Everywhere is a book about moving on, closure, and finding yourself in the mess of life. But it's also so much more.


  And then he smiles, and in all the places around the globe where it's night, day breaks.

Lennie and I didn't click at first. I think some people might find her an unlikable character - she makes many selfish decisions, and also some very stupid ones. But somehow throughout the whole story, I can understand why. (I don't mean that in a I-would-do-it-too way, but a I-can-see-why-she-did) I think the reason why I ended up liking her character was because she was such a person. She was so lost and alone, so deep in her grieving, and she just lost control. I think that she was "broken" long before Bailey died.. the companion horse and racehorse thing.

The other characters are all wonderful too. From what I can tell, Bailey was an incredible sister and friend. She's kind of everything I'm not - I guess, in the pair, I could relate to Lennie more. Toby was alright. I didn't like the relationship Lennie and Toby briefly had, but I could see how much he loved Bailey, his aching spilled right out of the pages of the book. That's what made him such a powerful character. Joe seemed soo perfect most of the time, so I think the unforgiving dickhead part was completely necessary. Plus, I loved how he collected Lennie's poems. I also enjoyed the quirkier characters of Gram and Big, and the bonding between Gram and Lennie (my heart broke a little for them, though).

I'm not sure how I felt about Joe and Lennie together. Sure, their love was passionate and beautifully written and believable.. but everything happened so quickly. It took them approximately three days to become love zombies. As someone who would never be able to get into such a physical + serious relationship in three days, I simply don't understand it. However, this is a super minor problem.

May I also comment that I looved Rachel's character? I feel like I've seen many Rachels in my lifetime: they're the people who need attention, who are so desperate for something. They know they don't deserve it any more than the next person, and deep down they're so so scared, but they'd never let it show. I actually feel like a lot of people will be able to relate to her, or at least some aspects of her.


  I always imagined music trapped inside my clarinet, not trapped inside of me. But what if music is what escapes when a heart breaks?

Just like in Jandy Nelson's other novel, I'll Give You the Sun (which I actually enjoyed more, though it's quite a bit longer), the writing was cosmic. Absolutely spectacular. Although the long paragraphs with metaphors or fancy descriptions that make me feel positively breathless are beautiful, I think it's the short quotes - the ones that broke my heart - that I loved the most. 

Alsooo the poems were great. Jandy Nelson, what kind of magic brain / pen do you have because your writing is just too incredible for words. 

Surprisingly.. it wasn't exactly a page turner. I read it in one go and it was a smooth, fast read, but there were times when I thought, Maybe I'll just pick it up again tomorrow and finish then. Normally, when a book has so many perfect ingredients (well developed characters, great writing, interesting plot, sad story) for me I can't put it down. Instead, it impacted me in a quiet sort of way.


  Telepathically, she tells me back that I'm breaking her broken heart.

I don't think The Sky Is Everywhere is a book that everyone will be able to enjoy. I personally really liked it, but it was a disappointment to me because of how much I adored I'll Give You the Sun. Everything's relative, I suppose.

The thing I must say, though: the reason I love books like The Sky Is Everywhere is not because I can relate to them, or I find them extremely moving, or anything. It's because I cannot possibly understand the characters within these stories. When I read books like this I feel like I'm being pulled out of my body into someone else's, and I think being able to see it from this perspective (instead of just complaining about characters not being relatable etc.) has helped me to find the brightness in almost every book I read. Oh gosh, that ended up sounding preachier than I'd hoped.

Anyways, I would personally recommend The Sky Is Everywhere. It has beautiful writing, poetry, complex characters, an interesting and somewhat unique plot, and the ending wraps everything up neatly and satisfactorily. (Holy cow, I can't believe that's a word. I didn't think it was when I typed it.) Even if you don't think this kind of novel is for you.. give it a try, who knows, you might like it! :)

Jazelle H

“For the first time in our lives, I’m somewhere she can’t find, and I don’t have the map to give her that leads to me.”

Lennie’s twin sister, Bailey, was always the center stage star in the spotlight to Lennie’s backstage persona. Bailey was the fire, the passion...until she dies so unexpectedly that Lennie doesn’t know how to handle the world anymore. As Lennie tries to break through the silence of her suffocating grief, two boys--newcomer Joe and Bailey’s once boyfriend, Toby--add their own notes to the symphony. 

“You can tell your story any way you damn well please. It’s your solo.”

Lennie’s search for her own symphony through music and love is beautifully heartbreaking. Jandy Nelson has such a stunning control over language and emotions that it’s no surprise this novel tugs at the heartstrings. The pacing is easy-going, fast enough to be engaging while slow enough to pull focus towards Lennie’s emotional state. The character development is natural, instead of forced into one sudden moment near the end of the novel, as some writers tend to do. As a result, it’s easy to fall into Lennie’s story, her grief, and her heart.

“I told him I was looking up at the sky. He said, ‘That’s a misconception, Lennie, the sky is everywhere, it begins at your feet.’"

Alexa M

this surprised me! while i didn’t care for the love triangle / insta love aspect of it i think this was a beautiful story about grief and family and loss and what it is to exist as a 17 year old girl amidst all of it. glad i picked this up.

mercy

(4.5) this one hit too close to home. lennie and bailey remind me so much of me and my sister, they broke my heart

Kira

I liked the poetry and conversations that she had with Bailey that were written down on cups, trees, and candy wrappers

Jeannette Ordas

Holy moly!! Just what I needed. Grief and romance, oh my.

Lennie Walker, a 17-year-old bookworm and band geek, spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But after Bailey suddenly dies, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life.

devin.reads

Check out my review of this book on my blog: http://devin-reads-books.blogspot.com...

Lennie Walker spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two.

Lorelei Petcu

This was kinda confusing at times and I really couldn't connect with Lennie. But, luckily I loved, all of the other characters, the weirdness of her family and the poems. So it was a really interesting read, after all.

Honey 🍯 

A very emotional and beautiful ride. The book was beautiful, the poems at the beginning, the blue ink and the little notes at the start of a chapter.

The prose, the poems really lured me in. I admired Jandy's way with words, her depth and understanding of the world around her, which only a few authors can achieve in their lifetime. Her quotes are witty and intelligent, and I admired that. The writing style is detailed and visual. 

I think Lennie reflects the author of this book. At first, I was confused about her behavior, her disregard for her actions, her relationship with Toby and the flimsy line between right and wrong. I thought about it a lot, and tried to rationalize. Were they being disrespectful to Bailey's memory? Would she have forgiven them, if she knew? Is it okay because they're both hurting and dealing with the same loss? Were they there just to fill the gaping hole Bailey's death left? I didnt have answers. It didnt matter. 

But as the story progressed, I sort of understood the idea of the need to feel alive after dealing through grief and loss. I got the idea, but I've never really dealt with this level of loss before so I couldn't relate, but Nelson Jandy clearly painted Lennie, Toby and everyone else's emotions that I felt them too. Lennie was flawed, raw and hurting. Her thought about death were honest and realistic. The guilt and loneliness were really there. She makes rash decisions, her mom left her, her uncle had plenty of failed marriages and her grandma was a hippie ( I love her grandma). That's where the character development comes in. I dealt with the loss with her, I saw her grow and heal, I felt her almost physically and I truly ached for her. 

Then along came Joe Fontaine. (view spoiler)[ I technically knew that he would be the one  to rescue her, her very own knight in shining armor, but I was curious about how their relationship would grow, how Lennie would respond. (hide spoiler)] One of the best fictional men EVER, I really liked him. I liked how he changed the atmosphere the book gave off, how he never knew the grief she felt but still understood. Hes so animated and funny and beautiful and can make a girl melt right into a puddle. He was like a ray of sunshine for Lennie, something she never knew she needed until he was there. There romance was pretty rushed, but that worked just fine for me. 

Overall, it was good, bittersweet, sad yet funny and witty and adorable. This book deserves every star.

Jude Moon

No me esperaba menos de Jandy Nelson. No sé todavía cómo lo hace, pero sus libros me atrapan de una manera que ninguno lo hace. Me hacen sentir más viva que nunca, y con cada uno de mis sentimientos a flor de piel. Es una experiencia única leer sus obras. Hace todos sus personajes tan especiales y originales que ojalá saber más y más de cada uno de ellos. No tengo ninguna duda en que es mi autora favorita. 10/10

Anna Troughton 

Very sweet and emotional book. Was a nice easy read, only I think I am probably a bit too old for it as the teenage narrative made me cringe sometimes. As a whole though it was a cute read.

Sven Test

I couldn't deal with this book. Lennie is so selfish and self-centered especially when she did something various of times she cheated a couple of times that she shouldn't have and that is a trope I hate with a passion. I should have DNF'd this.

Courtney 

Full review here: http://thebooksplorer.tumblr.com/post...

Mijs Franssen

I love Jandy Nelson. She is incredibly talented, and her two books are both masterpieces.
I gave this a 4 out of 5, because it is again, one of the best books I've read.


After reading this a second time, I will change my rating to 5 stars. After the year we have had and everything we lost and the growth I went through I can understand the choices Lennie made. I have no negative words to say about this book at all.

I loved the way they made the grief so real and raw and the beautiful way this story is written. It had me tearing up.

My positive notes;
- I loved Lennie as a character, she was very well written.
- The story concept is very beautiful, and I loved seeing the way they all dealt with the grief.
- I am crushing on Joe.
- I loved the way poetry fit into the book.

My negative notes:
- At some points, I got very annoyed at Lennie. I think the choices she made were not very good, and at some points I just wanted to throw her out of the window for the way she dealt with Joe. (January 2020)

Tameka Young

Oh my gosh, this book is incredible! It read like butter! I love the writing style so much, very literary and smart without being too caught up in it's own cleverness. I loved it so much I was actually sad when it was over! Amazing characters, engaging and hauntingly beautiful plot...5 stars all the way.

Ana Cob

I loved the way love is shown in this story. The way Lennie loves, doubts and feels felt very real to me. This all consuming love is beautifully portrayed and her grief is heart breaking and very real too. I thought of how I was as a teen and I felt warm inside, I recognized a lot in Lennie's character. My feelings were a lot flakier, though. 
The only problem that I have with this book is that everyone is so gorgeous, so wealthy... The setting is a bit too Hollywood perfect.

Grace O'Callaghan &
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

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