BOOK REVIEW - Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨

Pages: 366

Genre: YA Contemporary / YARomance

"Do you think a guy who dreads forgetting the past and a girl who's focused on the future could, you know, be friends?"

Time of Our Lives is a bittersweet story which follows Fitz Holton and Juniper Ramirez as their paths cross while both of them are embarking on a college tour. Juniper wants to get as far away from home and her 5 siblings as she can, while Fitz sees no need to go on the college tour; he has already decided he wants to attend the college where his mom works in his hometown.

"Hiraeth; homesickness for a home to which you can never return or that never was."

What I liked:

• I really loved Fitz and his caring nature.

• It was a lot of fun reading about their adventures in each city they visited on the tour.

• I loved how much the book focused on the importance of family relationships.

• Fitz and Juniper underwent a lot of character development and growth - they helped each other to view life from different perspectives.

• The book deals with all the emotions that comes with life changing moments.
  

"It's funny how places can feel completely different depending on who you're with, or who you're not."

There were times where I felt like the story dragged a bit and felt slightly predictable and slow. However, overall I enjoyed reading this and appreciated the lessons and messages I could take from this book. It teaches you to live in the moment and to appreciate and enjoy each and every moment of your life. It also focuses greatly on the importance of family.

"Caring about the past and wanting to live in it forever are completely different."

More quotes I liked:

"The way he describes them, cities exist in perpetual reinvention, sparked by constantly changing populations of constantly changing people. They're places where the strangers you meet on the street could detail your life in wonderful, unforgettable ways."

"I won't waste today. I'll let my dreams of the future heal the wounds of the past."

"I'm happy. I really am. Happier than I remember being in a while, in fact. It's just not what I'd define as pure, untainted joy. What interrupts the feeling is the sneaking suspicion I'm deserting what's really important with every step I take into a future that's distinctly mine."

"If I've learned anything from this week, it's that change can be wonderful, and wonderful doesn't need to last to be worthwhile."

"Even if things have to end, they're worth having, no matter how difficult the goodbye."