The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Title: The Sky Is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Publisher: Walker
Published: June 2010
ISBN: 1406326305
Author's Website: http://www.jandynelson.com/

Rating: 3.5/5

The cover on this is textured, which I was surprised about, I don't know if the US one is the same, as this is the UK version.  The book also has an elastic attachment which I found really useful as a bookmark ;)  There are a couple of spoilers in this review, but it doesn't tell you the ending.

This story is about grief, and all the emotions and actions that could go with it.  Lennie Walker's sister died suddenly,so Lennie and her grandmother and uncle are left to pick up the pieces and try to put their lives back together, as they are all understandably heartbroken.  Lennie's mother walked out on them at a young age, so growing up with her grandmother, uncle and sister meant the world to her.  Now with Bailey gone, Lennie falls apart in places, and also makes some really badly judged choices as she wallows in grief.

This book can be pretty hard hitting if you've recently been bereaved, as I have...but Lennie is so self centered in her grief from the outset that it jarred on me to be honest.  I felt I wanted to shake her out of her misery in places.  Things like wearing Bailey's clothes and phoning her sister's phone (and leaving messages!!) felt just too weird, wrong, and morbid. Despite those parts, I did have empathy for Lennie, and her character probably is very spot on to how someone her age might act, up to a point.

Joe, the out of town boy, is a really cute character, and I think he lifts the horrible shadow of grief from the whole family.  He helps Lonnie to feel something besides utter sorrow, that is until she gets mixed up and hormones take over.

There's also some great note pages at regular intervals in the book which Lennie has made and left in places, as a reader, this becomes clearer at the end, and is really sweet.  All in all, a good book. I felt the heavy shadow of grief  trailed on just slightly too long for me.  This is really well written though.

Book synopsis:
"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, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, with a nearly magical grin. 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.." 

    
Source: Won