Title: The Year We Fell ApartAuthor: Emily Martin
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: January 26, 2016
Rating:
Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But her worst mistake was destroying her relationship with her best friend, Declan.
Now, after two semesters of silence, Declan is home from boarding school for the summer. Everything about him is different—he’s taller, stronger…more handsome. Harper has changed, too, especially in the wake of her mom’s cancer diagnosis.
While Declan wants nothing to do with Harper, he’s still Declan, her Declan, and the only person she wants to talk to about what’s really going on. But he’s also the one person she’s lost the right to seek comfort from.
As their mutual friends and shared histories draw them together again, Harper and Declan must decide which parts of their past are still salvageable, and which parts they’ll have to let go of once and for all.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
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Review: The Year we Fell Apart by Emily Martin
The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin is a uniquely different book that contains a character who has cancer, yet doesn’t evolve around this theme. There have been quite a few young adult books lately that focus on cancer or some sort of life altering disease. This novel is very realistic and relatable with a main character who is definitely not perfect. Also, the theme of friendship is explored beautifully by Martin in this debut novel.
❀ Realistic Portrayal of a Cancer Patient
One of the greatest features about The Year We Fell Apart is the realistic portrayal of the characters and the main character’s mother’s cancer. For instance, the details surrounding the diagnosis of the cancer and the ongoing treatment that Harper’s mother endures are very believable. Even the depictions of the side-effects she experiences are portrayed accurately. However, cancer is not the main idea of the story, which makes it compelling because we are seeing the story unfold through the eyes of Harper.
❀ Relatable Main Character
Harper is a perfect main character in The Year We Fell Apart because she is both relatable and extremely flawed. She makes so many poor choices and big mistakes that are honestly very cringe-worthy. Also, Harper destroys so many of her relationships throughout the novel that she becomes a dislikable character. As the book progresses, however, Harper makes many realizations and her actions become quite admirable.
❀ Strong Theme of Friendship
Another enjoyable aspect of The Year We Fell Apart is the theme of friendship that is presented by Martin. As Harper grows and becomes self-aware, the friends that she needs and searches for become the focus of the story as opposed to a romantic relationship. I appreciated this so much as I was reading because the importance of friends is a message that is often brushed to the side so that the character can focus on a love interest in some young adult novels. This was so refreshing!
❀ Inspiring
The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin is a very realistic book with a flawed main character who slowly learns how to change her ways. This book is all about friendship, which will inspire and enlighten many readers. Fans of Jenny Han will definitely enjoy this book.
Book Quotes: The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin
“My plan to hide out between my jersey cotton sheets lasts only until the next morning. Mom bursts into my room at seven thirty, travel mug of coffee in hand.”
About Emily Martin
Emily Martin grew up in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. She attended graduate school in North Carolina, where she fell in love with sweet potato pancakes, deep fried pickles, and the boy who later became her husband. Emily now lives and writes in Boston, Massachusetts. The Year We Fell Apart is her first novel.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
Cannot wait to read it! Awesome review.
Very great review Olivia. I must put this book on.my TBR now. Thanks 😁
I just finished this book about an hour ago and unfortunately, I just didn’t love it like you did. There were some great aspects of the story, like Harper’s reaction to her mom’s cancer and how frustrated she gets with the word “fine”. But there were other things that just drove me crazy!
I am so excited for this book!! I have it on my TBR list already and am eagerly waiting for its release. Great review!
I’ve heard so much about this book, so many positive reviews! I’m itching to get my hands on a copy now! Sounds like a book I’ll enjoy, and I’m glad you enjoyed it too! I’m looking forward to reading about friendship and more about Harper because she sounds like an interesting protagonist!
Fantastic review. All the positive feedback from this novel has me very excited to get my hands on a copy. It’s got everything I look for in a contemporary YA book so I’m sure I’ll love!
I love that you say this book focuses more on friendship than romance. That’s a rare thing. And the bits you mentioned about the cancer have intrigued me. I’ll definitely be adding this to my tbr list. Thanks for the review!
There have been quite a few YA books about kids with cancer but not as many with them dealing with a parent’s cancer. This is a pretty timely subject as it seems to be very common these days, unfortunately.
I could definitely relate to this book!! I feel like nothing goes my way!! Im looking forward to reading it!!
This sounds like a great story!