Before reading this review, just go 1-click at your retailer of choice and purchase this book now. Seriously, go do it.

I wanted to read this book before I ever knew it would exist. That’s a bold statement to make, but it’s the truth. I discovered Abbie outside the covers of a book, amid the infectious energy she shares through her popular YouTube channel. As someone who is so generous with her advice and insights on what it means to be an author, I asked her the same question on several occasions. As a fellow author and avid reader, how long would we have to wait before we had an opportunity to read one of her stories?

When “100 Days of Sunlight” arrived in the bookish world, I smiled wide. No matter what it was about, I knew I needed to read it.

I will be completely transparent. I hoped to like it, but I didn’t expect to. As a YA novel, it’s not something that I usually read. Well, this story just goes to prove that a good book is a good book. There’s no need to put labels on a story like this one. No matter what your background is, and regardless of what you normally read, there is something in here (and I boldly submit much, much more) for every single reader.

Abbie captures elements of the human condition with such artistic and poetic fluency that it’s a joy to simply read her prose. But there is so much more to love about this story. There’s a quote that Abbie uses in her YouTube videos that has stuck with me since I first heard it. “It’s not what happens in the story that matters. It’s why what happens in the story matters to the characters.” Yes, that.

Tessa and Weston are two characters I immediately identified with and felt connected to, because of their authentic feelings and flawed selves. From the two opening scenes and the revelation of both characters’ plights, I was caught in a peculiar conundrum. I couldn’t wait to see how the inevitable end to this shared journey between Tessa and Weston would play out. But with each subsequent word and page, I wanted to slow down, to savor each syllable and taste each emotion. Immersed inside the thoughts and actions of these two teenagers, a tear-jerking yet heartwarming struggle occurred that had me feeling deeply. That is always the sign of a consummate book in my eyes. One that allows you to live and feel, completely, through another person’s experience.

This is one of a few books on my shelf that will be read again for many different reasons. To discover all the nuggets of wisdom I missed on previous reads, and to experience those heartfelt ones that tugged at my heartstrings from the moment I first laid eyes on them. To spend more time with a cast of characters that feel like they’re a part of my world. Because they are.

Finding your true self in the midst of chaos is infinitely easier and more difficult when you have someone to share that experience and journey with. Tessa and Weston prove this in a way that is emotionally moving and authentically real. Part coming of age and part love story, “100 Days of Sunlight” will shine bright long beyond that span of time.

Dave’s Rating: ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️

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