“I absolutely loved this book. Tessa and Weston were both really interesting characters.Their journey was fantastic. … This is an extremely clean YA book, so it’s a great book for pre-teens and teens.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
A charming YA tale, 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons is the story of teenage blogger Tessa who temporarily loses her sight following a car accident. Struggling to adjust to her new circumstances she turns away from the poetry and blogging which were a huge part of her life, and holes herself away in her room.
When her worried grandparents come up with the bright idea of hiring someone to help her type her blog etc, a twist of fate brings Weston Ludovico to the family’s front door. Weston might be the perfect person to understand the fear and frustration that Tessa is feeling, he is a double amputee who lost both legs at the age of thirteen and had to do a lot of soul searching of his own to come to terms with his new reality.
While Tessa is initially resistant to the idea, Weston is determined to help her find the beauty all around her and help her to realise that losing her sight temporarily is not the end of her world. Weston meanwhile is enjoying being treated just like everyone else and not a sob story and is determined that Tessa will never find out about his disability.
As the teens spend more time together they inevitably become closer, but as Tessa’s sight starts to return, Weston must face a tough decision, and risks losing her either way.
I’m not always a fan of contemporary YA romance, but this book is so sweet and charming that I could not resist. I loved the strong and funny character of Weston and found his backstory both tragic and compelling. The slow build of the relationship between Weston and Tessa was very enjoyable, and seeing Tessa lose some of her initial stiffness and reserve was fun.
If I had to pick a fault it is that it was all just a little too syrupy here and there, and Tessa’s recovery felt a little rushed and a little too on the nose at day 100 but that is a minor complaint about what was overall a very enjoyable book. I also have to say that the cover is so beautiful and eye catching, and perfect for the book.
Reviewed by:
Annette Jordan
Added 8th September 2019
