Someone You Loved - Review

Someone You Loved

By: Robin Constantine

Publication: June 27, 2023

352 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--A deeply emotional and highly romantic tale of two teens who fall in love while grieving the one person who makes their love impossible; in the vein of You've Reached Sam and The Sky Is Everywhere.

Sarah feels unmoored following her boyfriend’s sudden and tragic death. Their love story was cut short after just two sweet months together, and now all Sarah can think about are the moments she and Alex should be sharing. Sarah distracts herself by consoling Ash—her best friend and Alex’s sister—and by rehearsing for the school play and working at her aunt’s cafe. But none of that is as comforting as her nightly talks with Jake.

Jake is not ready to move on. Unable to sleep at night and “mopey”—according to his girlfriend, who doesn’t understand why he isn’t ready to jump back into partying—Jake is wracked with guilt as a witness to Alex’s death. His one source of joy is talking to Sarah. But between their growing closeness and his taking over as captain of the basketball team, Jake worries he is co-opting Alex’s life.

Both can’t help but wonder if they’re betraying Alex—and Ash—by acting on the feelings they can no longer deny. Given all that stands in the way, is their relationship worth fighting for?

As the description says, Sarah was dating Alex when he died. They hadn't been dating long, but she's grieving. Only she doesn't feel like she has the same right to grieve as others. His sister and her best friend, Ash, has been struggling. She has good days and bad, and Sarah wants to do everything she can to help Ash while also grieving herself. She doesn't go to their house much anymore, and she tiptoes around some things with Ash not to make her cry or break down. One of those things is Alex's best friend Jake. Ash doesn't blame Jake for the accident, but he is a constant reminder of her brother's death.

Jake is struggling also, but he's in therapy for witnessing his best friend's tragic death. He wants to reach out to Alex's girlfriend to ensure she's okay, but he doesn't know how it will be received. See Jake actually had a crush on Sarah first, but Alex is the one who ended up dating her. Sarah appreciates how she can talk about Alex with him in a way that she can't with his other friends or even Ash. They begin talking on the phone at night because they both have trouble sleeping.

Jake and Sarah have a slow-developing relationship. They start out as acquaintances and almost allies in their grief. They officially build to secret friends and even more. But the hiding and sneaking around threaten what they've built together. They have a story where they both have to work on themselves apart from their relationship. Yes, each character helps the other through their grief and struggles, but neither solves all the problems that the other faces.

Some of my favorite parts of this book are spoilers, so I'll have to leave them out. I did get frustrated with the characters at a time of two. I mean, they are teenagers, so poor decisions are bound to happen. But what I liked most of all was how realistic everything felt. Things that might have been dramatized weren't. Sarah is grieving, but thankfully, she wasn't in love with Alex or her grief would have been even worse. Jake was present, and the two had been drinking, but he's never villanized by their friends or especially Alex's family. Sarah occasionally lies to her mom. I like how her mom doesn't exactly let her off the hook for them even while feeling compassion for her. Yet, Sarah also doesn't like lying even when she does it, she feels really guilty. Not guilty enough not to but...believable. I can't say that I loved Mike and his marijuana usage, but I did like how he seemed to utterly adore Ash. I also liked how the relationship with Buzz played out.

A lot of jumbled ramblings all to say that Someone You Loved gets 4 Stars. Have you read Someone You Loved? What did you think? Let me know!