Will I love The Sky Is Everywhere?

I loved this book because the writing broke my heart (and helped me heal it).

The main character, Lennie, loses her sister in the novel, and I related so deeply. I lost my cousin—who was like a sister to me—and felt every word of this book. I know the feelings, thoughts, and experiences Lennie has, and I would be surprised if someone experiencing grief didn’t understand them too.

I especially loved how this book reminded me of the dual experiences we have with grief…how part of us wants to stay behind in the darkness because it’s hard to move on… show more.

I read The Sky is Everywhere shortly after it was published in 2010, very early in my own pursuit to become a published author. So clearly, I remember absorbing the novel’s final words, closing its cover, and thinking I want people to feel like this after reading the stories I write. In other words: enchanted, affected, and wonderfully content. Lennie’s story of loss and recovery, punctuated by rash decisions, dreamy poetry, and swoony first love, is one that’s stayed with me for more than a decade. 

The Sky Is Everywhere does that amazing thing…taking a book that opens with the death of a sibling and making it gorgeous and playful and ultimately joyful. Part of it is how beautiful Nelson writes, with snippets of poetry woven through the text. Part of it is the absolute weirdness and awesomeness of the supporting characters. Part of it is the super-swoony love story that plays out, because death doesn’t stop love. I’ve reread this book several times, and yes, I cry every time, but somehow still feel better for having read it.