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Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

Young adult

Opposite of Always

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Justin A. Reynolds, on your first book!

by Justin A. Reynolds

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Quick take

A tale of first love, second chances, and Froot Loops.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Quirky

    Quirky

  • Illustrated icon, Love_Triangle

    Love triangle

  • Illustrated icon, Magical

    Magical

Synopsis

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian.

He almost made varsity.

He almost got the girl . . .

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is ... complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do—and let go—to save the people he loves.

Free sample

Check out a preview of Opposite of Always.

Opposite of Always

How To Save No One

My face is mashed sideways against the trunk of a police cruiser when Kate dies for the third time. The box meant to save her life is smushed near my feet.

I’ve learned a few lessons along the way.

For instance: don’t waste time on clothes.

It’s cold out, easily sweater weather. I’m in short sleeves, plaid pajama shorts, and a pair of beat-up Chucks I wear to mow the lawn. The insides are damp, and there’s a clump of grass in my right shoe scratching my toes, but there wasn’t time for socks. Socks, and weather-appropriate attire, are a luxury. They take time. And I can’t waste any.

Not tonight.

Not ever.

Because big lesson number one is this: all the time travel in the world can’t save the people you love.

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Why I love it

Any child of the ’90s is familiar with the time-displaced protagonist. From Bill Murray in Groundhog Day to Back to the Future’s Marty McFly, we know well these (usually white!) heroes. But thanks to Justin A. Reynolds, we have a new 21st-century time traveller: charming, heart-on-his-sleeve Jack, who yearns to alter the past until he finally gets every facet of his life right.

When Jack meets Kate at a house party, he’s pretty sure they’re meant to be … until, that is, she dies unexpectedly. But Kate’s death triggers a shift in time that sends Jack back to the day they met, giving him the chance to save her life. If you’re worried about too many math equations on whiteboards: don't be. Jack and Kate's almost love story is realistic, rooted in the expectations we put on relationships and the promise of new love that's usually not as sweet as it seems. And yet, who hasn’t met that person who they thought might fix it all, if only they could keep them from, y’know, dying?

As someone who fast-forwards through many second acts of films that are too predictable, I'm in awe of Reynolds's ability to draw and hold the reader in a story that's part love story, part coming of age, and part high-concept time adventure. Not only has he created a time loop that will break your heart multiple times, he’s created A+ supporting characters that are messy enough to be real and realistic enough to get even messier. Reynolds never loses that light subversion of a relatively trauma-free black protagonist, a black love story, and black families that anchor the character of Jack, and I cannot wait to read what he writes next.

Member ratings (832)

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View all
The Wild Huntress
Ruthless Vows
What the River Knows
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Dragonfruit
The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
Check & Mate
Divine Rivals
Foul Lady Fortune
Anna K Away
I Must Betray You
A Wilderness of Stars
Warrior Girl Unearthed
Bloodmarked
Instructions for Dancing
The Boy in the Red Dress
Color Me In
Not So Pure and Simple
Throw Like a Girl
Frankly in Love
The Queen of Nothing
Wayward Son
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
Anna K
Patron Saints of Nothing
The Kingdom of Back
Yes No Maybe So
Permanent Record
Full Disclosure
Oasis
Where the World Ends
I Have No Secrets
Song of the Crimson Flower
When the Stars Lead to You
All the Bright Places
Saving Zoë
Symptoms of a Heartbreak
All of Us with Wings
The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World
Past Perfect Life
There's Something About Sweetie
Again, But Better
Sky Without Stars
How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom
Night Music
Shout
The Deceivers
Top Ten
A Million Junes
And We're Off
Salt to the Sea