The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Published January 22nd 2015 by Walker (first published January 1st 2010)

Blurb: "For fans of John Green, David Levithan and Rainbow Rowell: a beautiful, funny and heartfelt novel about love and forgiveness. Seventeen-year-old 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 suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two boys. One boy takes Lennie out of her sorrow; the other comforts her in it. But the two can't collide without Lennie's world exploding..."

It's rare that a book can make me laugh and cry in equal measure but this one managed it!

The characters were captivating and the descriptions of the scenery were beautiful. I also enjoyed reading Lennie's poetry which is scattered throughout the book much the way she wrote down her thoughts and memories and then discarded them as a way to release her overwhelming feelings into the world. Having read this on Kindle though, I did find it hard to read some of the poems at times as they are "handwritten" and quite small and faded at times, so I would recommend getting a physical copy of the book.

I sympathised so much for Lennie in her grief, where the shock of her loss has fractured the relationships with those around her. It was frustrating at times to see her family reaching out to her and her inability to respond through her own grief, but I did understand it. I was also intrigued by the story of the girls' mysterious mother.

Lennie certainly makes a lot of mistakes while coming to terms with her loss. I have to say that I didn't like Lennie's strange relationship with Toby (Bailey's boyfriend), but I understand that shock and grief overtake them in a world which feels off its axis. In contrast, I really enjoyed reading about Lennie and Joe's relationship and their shared love of music. I also loved Lennie's nutty friend Sarah, their friendship really leaps off the page.

I enjoyed reading about Lennie's love of music too and her growing acknowledgement that it is something she is really passionate about.

I would give this book 9 out of 10, I loved it!