ARC Review: In a World Just Right
In a World Just Right by Jen Brooks
Expected Publication Date: April 28th, 2015
Format/Source: eARC from the publisher via Edelweiss. Thank you!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Part of a series? No
Preorder links: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - The Book Depository
Imagination takes on new meaning for a uniquely talented teen in this debut novel that is a breathtaking blend of contemporary, fantasy, and romance.
Sometimes Jonathan Aubrey wishes he could just disappear. And as luck—or fate—would have it, he can. Ever since coming out of a coma as a kid, he has been able to create alternate worlds. Worlds where he is a superhero, or a ladies’ man, or simply a better version of himself. That’s the world he’s been escaping to most since sophomore year, a world where he has everything he doesn’t have in real life: friends, a place of honor on the track team, passing grades, and most importantly, Kylie Simms as his girlfriend.
But when Jonathan confuses his worlds senior year and tries to kiss the real Kylie Simms, everything unravels. The real Kylie actually notices Jonathan…and begins obsessing over him. The fantasy version of Kylie struggles to love Jonathan as she was created to do, and the consequences are disastrous. As his worlds collide, Jonathan must confront the truth of his power and figure out where he actually belongs—before he loses both Kylies forever.
Sometimes Jonathan Aubrey wishes he could just disappear. And as luck—or fate—would have it, he can. Ever since coming out of a coma as a kid, he has been able to create alternate worlds. Worlds where he is a superhero, or a ladies’ man, or simply a better version of himself. That’s the world he’s been escaping to most since sophomore year, a world where he has everything he doesn’t have in real life: friends, a place of honor on the track team, passing grades, and most importantly, Kylie Simms as his girlfriend.
But when Jonathan confuses his worlds senior year and tries to kiss the real Kylie Simms, everything unravels. The real Kylie actually notices Jonathan…and begins obsessing over him. The fantasy version of Kylie struggles to love Jonathan as she was created to do, and the consequences are disastrous. As his worlds collide, Jonathan must confront the truth of his power and figure out where he actually belongs—before he loses both Kylies forever.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. That in no way swayed my opinion.*
In a World Just Right was incredible. I'm having a hard time forming coherent sentences right now because I was absolutely blown away. It had me guessing the whole way, and it messed with my mind. If you need an idea of just how much, take a lot at my Goodreads updates:
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So yeah. There were a lot of feelings. Let's start at the beginning, shall we. In the beginning, Jonathan is trying to live two lives. Real Life and Kylie-Simms-Is-My-Girlfriend life, which he created out of loneliness and an aching for love. He alternates between worlds with apparent happiness until The Incident where he almost kisses not-girlfriend Kylie. After that, the two Kylies start blurring together and his life, err, lives, become a mess that he needs to sort out.
I love the idea of world-building because, let's face it, who hasn't wanted to create an alternate version of reality at one point in their life? Probably no one because that sounds awesome. Brooks did a great job of incorporating the science of world-building into the story without boring the readers with sciencey explanations. This is my first sci-fi novel, and it makes me want to read more of it.
(And I want to read more of Jen Brooks's writing. Just putting that out there. This woman can write.)
I also loved Jonathan. He's been through so much in his life, and he wants so badly to be loved; I was routing for him from the beginning. He made me want to like him, not out of pity, but because he was really genuine. Once real-Kylie started feeling girlfriend-Kylie's feelings and started loving him out of nowhere, he could have totally taken advantage of that, but he didn't because he wanted her to love him for real. And there were so many layers to him. The Jonathan on page one is different from the Jonathan on page four hundred and whatever because he really took his experiences and allowed them to help him grow.
Now I'm just rambling and I should probably stop but I REALLY need to talk about one more thing before I do: the ending! Holy WOW, that ending. The climax should have been predictable honestly, but the whole book was written in a way that I did not expect THAT to happen. That's all I'm going to say.
In a World Just Right was a unique story that answers that 'What if?' question that everyone has asked themself at one point or another. It kept me guessing until the very end; it's a beautiful debut that you want on your shelves.
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