My Thoughts: Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga

Here We Are Now
by Jasmine Warga
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Publication Date: November 7th 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9781444791785
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: e-Arc

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Despite sending him letters ever since she was thirteen, Taliah Abdallat never thought she'd ever really meet Julian Oliver. But one day, while her mother is out of the country, the famed rock star from Staring Into the Abyss shows up on her doorstep. This makes sense - kinda - because Julian Oliver is Taliah's father, even though her mother would never admit it to her.

Julian asks if Taliah if she will drop everything and go with him to his hometown of Oak Falls, Indiana, to meet his father - her grandfather - who is nearing the end of his life. Taliah, torn between betraying her mother's trust and meeting the family she has never known, goes.

With her best friend Harlow by her side, Taliah embarks on a three-day journey to find out everything about her 'father' and her family. But Julian isn't the father Taliah always hoped for, and revelations about her mother's past are seriously shaking her foundation. Through all these new experiences, Taliah will have to find new ways to be true to herself, honoring her past and her future. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
I was really excited to get started on Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga. I had read her previous book, My Heart and Other Black Holes a few years ago, and it was one of those stories that really stuck with me, so I was curious to see how this one would compare.

Since she was thirteen years old, Taliah has guessed at whom her father was, but has never met him, and her mother has never named names. Based on evidence that Taliah has discovered, but never told her mom about, she thinks that her dad may be rock star Julian Oliver. When Julian arrives on her doorstep one afternoon out of the blue, Taliah begins to think she may be right. And when he asks her to take a road trip with him to meet the family she’s never known, as well as her dying grandfather, she decides to go, to discover all the things she’s missed out on for so long.

The storyline for this book was definitely different from that of that of Jasmine’s previous book. While it did touch bases on important things throughout the story, the storyline was pretty upbeat. And, coming in at right around 300 pages, it was a really quick read as well. I actually ended up listening to the audiobook for this, which I surprisingly found on Hoopla* on the day book was released, and since I’m all about audiobooks lately, I decided to check it out in that format instead. I’m so glad I did! Soneela Nankani did a great job narrating the book, and I really enjoyed having her read the story to me.

Overall; Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga was a quick and interesting read, and I’m so glad to have had the chance to read it this month! I’m really looking forward to reading more by Jasmine in the future as well, and I’ll be keeping my eye out for her next book, Other Words for Home, which is due to release in 2018!

*Hoopla is a digital media service offered by my local library! It has an amazing assortment of audiobooks, and also offers ebooks, movies and tv shows as well.

Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

My Heart and Other Black Holes
by Jasmine Warga
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Publication Date: February 10th 2015
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9780062324672
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Suicide
Source: Edelweiss

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Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner.

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince. (Goodreads)

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect when I first started reading My Heart and Other Black Holes. You just never know how a book with such a sensitive subject is going to work out. I’ve read quite a few books lately that deal with suicide, and they were all very unique in their own ways. My Heart and Other Black Holes is definitely unique, and it is also a story that will give you hope.

Aysel and Roman have absolutely nothing in common, other than wanting to end their own lives. They both have a pretty heartbreaking story to tell, although Roman’s story was a bit more distressing in many ways. They both know the dark places of life, the black slug that sucks away any happiness that they could ever hope to experience again. But through this darkness, there is hope, even when it comes from the place you least expect it.

I don’t want you to think that this entire story was sad, because it wasn’t. Aysel was a pretty smart kid, and I kind of love how obsessed she was with physics and classical music. She brought it into her everyday life in every way she possibly could. She was also pretty snarky, which I kind of love in any character. And while Roman felt guilty for ever being happy, we get to see a few of the things that bring a little happiness as well.

The thing that I didn’t expect while reading a book about teen suicide was that there was just so much hope in it. And this hope shines through in the most unexpected ways for these characters; they just have to learn where to look for it.

Overall; My Heart and Other Black Holes was a really touching read about a very touchy subject. I hope that the book will send a great message across to its readers to let them know that there is hope out there, and help as well. Even when you feel the most hopeless, there is always hope.