Early Departures

Early Departures

Justin A. Reynolds

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

Justin A. Reynolds, author of Opposite of Always, delivers another smart, funny, and powerful stand-alone YA contemporary novel, with a speculative twist in which Jamal’s best friend is brought back to life after a freak accident . . . but they only have a short time together before he will die again. Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know he’s about to die . . . again. He also doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save his life, rescuing him from drowning only to watch Q die later in the hospital. Even more complicated, Jamal and Q haven’t been best friends in two years—not since Jamal’s parents died in a car accident, leaving him and his sister to carry on without them. Grief swallowed Jamal whole, and he blamed Q for causing the accident. But what if Jamal could have a second chance? An impossible chance that would grant him the opportunity to say goodbye to his best friend? A new health-care technology allows Q to be reanimated—brought back to life like the old Q again. But there’s a catch: Q will only reanimate for a short time before he dies . . . forever. Jamal is determined to make things right with Q, but grief is hard to shake. And he can’t tell Q why he’s suddenly trying to be friends with him again. Because Q has no idea that he died, and Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin the miracle by telling him. How can Jamal fix his friendship with Q if he can’t tell him the truth?

Publication Year: 2020


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  • huntresszafira
    May 02, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    When Jamal and his best friend’s mother are offered a chance to bring Jamal’s best friend, Q, back to life for a short time after a tragic death, they accept. However, Q comes back without the knowledge that he ever died and will die again. Jamal does his best to make the most of the time they have together.

    This book was phenomenal. The concept was interesting and well-executed. Although it would have been cool if the concept of being reanimated had been explored more, that wasn’t the main purpose of this book so it didn’t matter, and what was explored on this topic was interesting to read about. Overall, this was a great read and I highly recommend to anyone who likes character-driven contemporary novels.

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  • apricotfin
    Jan 22, 2025
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    3.5

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  • AlysonAlyza
    May 05, 2025
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