100 Days of Sunlight – Abbie Emmons

“You know what I see?”
His gaze drifts back to mine…”What?”
“I see the bravest person I have ever met.”

abbie emmons
100 days of sunlight

Publication Date: August 7, 2019
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 311
Dates Read: July 29- August 2, 2019
Format: eARC provided by NetGalley & Abbie Emmons

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My GoodReads Review

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
📖”When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down. 

Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile…and no legs.

Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks he can help her. But he has one condition — no one can tell Tessa about his disability. And because she can’t see him, she treats him with contempt: screaming at him to get out of her house and never come back. But for Weston, it’s the most amazing feeling: to be treated like a normal person, not just a sob story. So he comes back. Again and again and again.

Tessa spurns Weston’s “obnoxious optimism”, convinced that he has no idea what she’s going through. But Weston knows exactly how she feels and reaches into her darkness to show her that there is more than one way to experience the world. As Tessa grows closer to Weston, she finds it harder and harder to imagine life without him — and Weston can’t imagine life without her. But he still hasn’t told her the truth, and when Tessa’s sight returns he’ll have to make the hardest decision of his life: vanish from Tessa’s world…or overcome his fear of being seen.

100 Days of Sunlight is a poignant and heartfelt novel by author Abbie Emmons. If you like sweet contemporary romance and strong family themes then you’ll love this touching story of hope, healing, and getting back up when life knocks you down.”📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
4.5 STARS

This book was… wow. It was just one of those books that just grabs your heart and doesn’t let go.

100 Days of Sunlight is the story of Tessa- a poetry writer and blogger who, after being involved in a car accident, has temporarily lost her eyesight. This was a fantastic YA debut. It had me on a rollercoaster of emotions. I laughed, and cried, even got a little mad. When a novel can touch me in so many different ways, I know it will always be a favorite.

[The Plot]
This was a nice and easy YA read. The writing flowed nicely and the timing was good. I loved the little touches of poetry throughout. I loved how this novel depicts positivity during hardship. There was a good balance of the serious and the lighthearted comedy aspect. Overall I found the plot to be beautifully written and meaningful. Because Weston doesn’t want Tessa to know about his own disability, this truly makes the story both ironic and entertaining. It also created nice suspense for us as a reader, as Tessa gets closer to getting her eyesight back.

[The Characters]
Tessa: Tessa is stubborn and obviously upset with the hand she’s been dealt. But she is also loveable and her growth and transformation throughout the book was empowering. She isn’t the fierce “strong female lead” as typical in some YA novels, but she is REAL. She doesn’t always make the right choices or say the right things, but her relatability and humanity was a nice change to read and I really loved her.

Weston: Weston is the stand out character in this novel. Like Tessa, he is also a very real and relatable character. He is very different from most teenage male MC’s in that he is very mature and wise for his age, and almost comes off as being in his 20’s instead of a teenager in High School. Weston has the most beautiful outlook on life for a 16-year-old, and it is truly awe-inspiring. It is an outlook that I would love to be able to apply even in my adult life. Wes chooses to deal with his trials through love and humility, and it was quite refreshing.

I will note however that while I did like the maturity of the MC’s, I also feel that at certain points the MC’s, particularly Weston came off as TOO mature for their age. In these flashbacks of his history, he is 13 years old, and he still sounds closer to 20 when he talks and thinks. These parts just didn’t come off sounding 100% right and are literally my only complaint with the book and the only reason I knocked off half a star.

[The Romance]
The romance aspect of this novel was so intriguing to read as it played out. Since Tessa doesn’t know about Weston’s legs, I felt that the story was made more romantic, because it is clear that their relationship is much deeper than just physical attraction.

This novel was phenomenal and without a doubt a new favorite. It is a meaningful story of growth and positivity through the hardest times in life. It is accepting that you have a disability, but you are NOT your disability. 100 Days of Sunlight made me think of my senses in a whole new light and appreciation. I highly recommend this book because it’s a thought-provoking message, and an emotionally charged story is well worth the read.

Special thanks to NetGalley & Abbie Emmons for providing me with the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and thoughts.

Content: Mild teen language, some Christian perspective (Grandfather is a pastor) such as God, prayer, and church service.