While Jennifer Armentrout’s paranormals are not for me, I’ve always had good luck with her contemporaries. Will this story of a day that changes everything be hit or miss for me? Read my review of If There’s No Tomorrow below.
If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer Armentrout
Published on September 5, 2017 by Harlequin Teen
Source: library
Synopsis from Goodreads: Lena Wise always looks forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She’s ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, finish college applications and maybe let her childhood best friend Sebastian know how she really feels about him.
For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be epic—one of opportunities and chances. Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything. Now Lena isn’t looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same.
Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian might never forgive her for what happened. For what she let happen. With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on.
But how can she move on when her and her friends’ entire existences have been redefined? How can she move on when tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed?
My Review of If There’s No Tomorrow:
First off, I buddy read this with Katherine at Paperback Dreamer. Thanks to her for inviting me to do a buddy read! I really enjoyed our discussions! These thoughts represent my opinion.
If There’s No Tomorrow is a book with a lot of suspense and a lot of heart. However, I ended up feeling that it was comprised of elements that didn’t necessarily belong together. As the story begins, Lena is crushing on her best friend Sebastian, who just broke up with his gorgeous, popular girlfriend. So at first I thought this would be a best-friends-to-more kind of story.
But the book also had a prologue about Lena in the hospital, which worried me. I’ve read a bunch of accident + amnesia stories this year and wasn’t all that excited to read another one.
Without spoilers, I will just say that I thought the romance in this story felt at odds with the main part of the story, which was a guilt/grief story. Again, without spoilers, I felt that the inclusion of amnesia was a teaser that promised something that never materialized. I was sure that there was some kind of huge twist coming. There wasn’t.
I liked each individual element on its own: the romance, the guilt part of the story, the moving grief part of the story. But I didn’t think they always worked as a cohesive whole.
Have you read this or do you have other Jennifer Armentrout books to recommend?
Great review!
I had a lot of fun chatting about this book with you! 🙂
Same – I feel like I should add more details under spoiler protection.
I have this on my wishlist. I have heard good things. I can see how the individual elements work well but may not come all together. Great review!
Hope you love it – that’s part of the fun of discussing books: that we can have completely different opinions!
You’ve got me super intrigued to know what happened but not necessarily to read lol
I have mixed results with this author as well. I either LOVE it or want to throw the book.
For What It’s Worth
Well, her paranormals usually make me want to throw the book because of the overbearing, perfect, Twilight-like guy. This had a very appealing romance – I just didn’t like that it was stuck in the middle of this really tragic story.
You have intrigues me and worried me at the same time. I might still have to give this a try if I ca get it from my library. 🙂
Definitely! People on GR have really liked this, though others agree with me.
Aw sorry to hear about the romance in particular. Usually I love her romance even if sometimes very unrealistic. Hope your next try of her work goes better for you!
Yeah, it’s not uncommon for me to feel like a swoony romance feels out of place in an issue book or a grief book.
I kind of liked her Lux series, but didn’t like The Problem with Forever at all. So I’m not sure if I’ll read this!
I haven’t read TPwF but reading the synopsis, it sounds similar – an issue book. I wish she’d write another suspense or just a contemporary romance.
JLA is one of my (very) few auto-buy authors and I typically pre-order her books – as I did with this one. And yet I still haven’t picked it up. As much as loved her YA contemporary The Problem with Forever, for some reason I haven’t been as jazzed for this one. Interesting how you enjoyed individual elements but didn’t feel they necessarily worked together. I hope to read this one by the end of the year and I’ll be interested to see if I feel similarly.
Please let me know -as her books don’t consistently work for me I’m curious to see what a fan thinks!
This sounds like such a great book! I’m definitely going to give it a try, especially since I’m a huge fan of JLA. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3
Great – hope you love it!