Finding Mr. BrightsideAuthor: Jay Clark
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: March 24, 2015
Format: eARC
Pages: 225
Source: Publisher
Abram and Juliette know each other. They’ve lived down the street from each other their whole lives. But they don’t really know each other—at least, not until Juliette’s mom and Abram’s dad have a torrid affair that culminates in a deadly car crash. Sharing the same subdivision is uncomfortable, to say the least. They don’t speak.
Fast-forward to the neighborhood pharmacy, a few months later. Abram decides to say hello. Then he decides to invite her to Taco Bell. To her surprise as well as his, she agrees. And the real love story begins.
Okay, this was better than I expected. I thought Finding Mr. Brightside was going to be all super sappy and dramatic, but not so. This is actually a lot of fun. Yes, there are serious subject matters, but it’s not all done in a Debbie Downer way.
Juliette and Abram both lost a parent. At the same time. Her mom and his dad were having an affair, and then died in a car accident on their way home from a getaway. Can you imagine getting that call? Juliette and Abram live down the street from each other and go to the same school, but don’t talk. Then one random night they just kind of fall into this … weird friendship. They seemed to naturally gravitate toward each other, and that made sense given their circumstances and curiosity.
I love Abram and Juliette. Their dynamic is one of my favorite types – she’s standoffish and pushes people away, while he’s easygoing and persistent. It’s highly amusing how her attitude and personality doesn’t faze him. I know Juliette doesn’t exactly sound like a ball of fun, but she is funny in her own way. And the two of them together made me laugh quite a few times.
“Just now noticing the twin daggers shooting out from Juliette’s eyes – looks like they’ve been there awhile. In case there’s any confusion over who her target is, she points in my direction and then makes a throat-slitting gesture with the same index finger.
I step out of the car, still excited to see her.”
Obviously they’ve come together under strange circumstances, and they’re both dealing with what their parents did in their own unhealthy ways. So it was nice to see how they grew closer and found closure together. What I really like too is, there isn’t very much drama. I mean, there is a little or else it would be kind of boring, but it definitely falls on the lower side of the scale.
Overall, Finding Mr. Brightside was an entertaining read for sure.
happy to see that this was entertaining for you 😀
I am glad it gave you more than you were expecting.
Oooh, sounds like this one was really honest and done really well. It definitely was some unusual circumstances that they got together, but it sounds like they were dealing with their mutual grief. Great review Christy!
The blurb reminds me of that old film with Jack Lemmon, Avanti 🙂 On my list, great review !
For a second there with that cover I thought this was a Jennifer E. Smith book! I think this sounds like a fantastic read, like you, I enjoy a standoffish/easygoing pairing, it never fails to bring a smile to my face:) Thanks for the recommendation Christy!
After I read the synopsis my first thought regarding the pairing was: How did the author pull this through??? But from reading your thoughts I can see that it was successful. The main characters sound fun, especially the girl. LOL, that quote. Thanks for sharing, Christy! I’ll check it out.
I am all for low drama in YA contemporaries right now. I actually think I would really like this one.
That would be a bitch of a call to get. I’ve read one–cant remember which now–that had that set up. Love the opposite personalities. That really can be fun to read 🙂
Awww…this actually sounds really cute!
Is it just Me or does anyone else singing that song by The Killers?
What a great sounding summer read
Sounds cute but I don’t know if I could read this one without the music playing in my head. 🙂 Glad this one ended up entertaining you.
I like how these two were bought together because of bad circumstances. I like the teaser too, she hates him, he likes her anyway!
I like the cover of this one, it sounds like a cute, fluffy read xD Thank you for sharing an amazing review x I might dive into this one soon.
I’m so happy you ended up enjoying this one Christy, i’m all for cute contemporary stories right now (it’s the summer girl in me, trying to break out)
This sounds like a great story! I’m glad that it was a fun story, low on drama, and had moments of humor! Excellent Review!!!
I wasn’t planning on reading this one but you make it sound so adorable and I cannot help but be intrigued!
I love the sound of the romance! With the girl being standoffish and the guy trying to get her attention! 😛 It’s a cute reversal of the usual cliche and I really do want to see how they work things out with each other and how they deal with their loss!
Fantastic review, Christy! 😀
I was pleasantly surprised by this one too! And I love the quote that you used for your review. It was perfectly indicative of both Abram and Juliette!
Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
What a way for these two to be connected! I’ll keep this one in mind. Thanks for your review!
hehe, makes me think of the Killers song. I love when couples start out as friends. So sweet.
Sweet! You liked this one! I still need to read it. I’ve gotten into teen romance right now for some reason. I think I’m trying to find sunshine in this grey mess of clouds that we’re calling Spring over here!