Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Pub. Date: March 2010
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Format: Hardcover, 288pp
Age Range: Young Adult

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

Once in a while, a book comes along and captures your heart completely. THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE wrapped itself around my heart and held on tight.

Lennie’s journey through grief, love, and self-discovery enraptured me throughout the entire book. The contrasts between Lennie’s demeanor around Joe and Toby quickly reeled me in page by page. Joe represented sunny blue skies and new life for Lennie as she struggled with her grief over her sister’s death. I found myself falling in love with this character through Lennie’s eyes - Bat.Bat.Bat (Read the book and you’ll get what I’m saying). The grief-stricken scenes with Lennie and Toby continued to break my heart as they clung to one another for some semblance of life without Bailey. The characters in this novel are so realistic and heartwarming, I couldn’t have asked for a better cast.

There are so many aspects that I enjoyed about this book. I loved the Walker family dynamics which included Grams - the Garden Guru, Uncle Big – the ever so eccentric, and even Lennie’s thoughts on her absentee mom. I also loved how Lennie wrote poems and notes to be scattered by the wind for someone else to find. I couldn’t imagine how this book would play out and all the unexpected surprises made me appreciate this book even more.

This is a testament to Nelson’s writing that I found myself smiling, laughing, heart-broken, and tearing up in accordance with Lennie. Have you ever wanted a book NOT to end? I fell in love with THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE and did not want it to end. This is one of those novels that I will keep close to my heart. The writing is splendid and I was an emotional wreck by the end of this book. I did not want to part with this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

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