RELEASE DAY REVIEW – HELLO, GOODBYE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN by Jennifer E. Smith

Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between
by Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher – Headline
Release Date – Today!
Buy – Amazon | Book Depository

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they’ll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

This new must-read novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that must be made when life and love lead in different directions.

Jennifer E. Smith novels have been the highlight of my year every year. It started with This Is What Happy Looks Like and then last year, The Geography of You and Me, I don’t think I can really rank them in order because they are all so special in there own way. They will always be my most anticipated read, why, because in each novel she explore love in so many ways and Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between, was just another one that just made my heart swell and my love for Jennifer’s novel grow a little more.

Clare and Aidan have been together two years. What a wonderful two years it has been but they knew that this time is coming where they can’t follow each other, where they have to make their own path for their future. Both of them have applied to universities, Clare got accepted in Dartmouth and Aidan, UCLA on opposite ends of the country. They take this one night before they leave as a way to go on a scavenger hunt, of their relationship, so Clare has a list of their first’s, they favourite places and which ones meant the most to them. Going back in time to where they first kissed, said “I dove you”, and where they first met. Through this lifetime of events, will it change or confirm both of their decision to stay together or break up? That is the ultimate decision. In a novel as short as 256 pages, Jennifer takes us through one night of memories and a ultimate choice.

What I loved was the fact that it was written for just one night, the timing of the novel was different and unique. I was able to relive the whole night indefinitely. So it didn’t matter it took me a week, I just continued from the next moment in time. But the whole novel started with a note, a list and you know how I feel about those in novels. Its the best type of novel especially in a contemporary one. Enough said really. I won’t bore you with my rant of notes and lists in a book. You’ve heard it all before. Clare started from the moment they met in chem class in high school to where they have a personal booth in a pizza place known as Slices. Each chapter was a new adventure and a new memory for you to really get to them as character that they were together. Whilst it would have been nice to have seen their individual side, personally I didn’t really mind that as we this novel was solely about them and their relationship.

Clare for me was a little overwhelming at times, I felt she can be quite a complicated and difficult person to get to know. I admire her saying she’s a bland person to begin with but I think we need too as readers decide for ourselves. I felt though that she’d given up a lot with Aidan, although she couldn’t see beyond him, she was trying to think of the less painful way in or out in their relationship. Like it was an instantaneous decision without considering what could happen. Clare is very black and white, that’s a better way to describe her, and I think she need to vent off toward the colourful areas.

Unlike Aidan, I know he really doesn’t want to break up, and he’s adamant about that. Aidan is ‘Easy-Breezy’ as he like to say and I like that a lot. For Aidan it’s tough being that as he constantly battling with his father about universities and not going Havard, which was his father’s dream not his, you can see where this is going. But Aidan wants to be part of the sport’s finest Lacrosse Team in UCLA and maybe go into a programme about it. What’s so bad about that and following your dream and the girl you love too. Aidan is the Knight in shining Armour and I love that he wants to fight for her too.

However as we got to the end it was Clare who really surprised me the most as well as the ending. Which really made me cry with happiness. It was such a touching ending and it fitted it perfectly. This is the perfect summer novel this year and even in those rather cloudy days that we (the UK) seem to be having of late.

Rating – 5