From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a remarkable new novel about the choices we make and the heartbreak and hope they can bring. “Thought-provoking and powerful.” –Erin Watt, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She’s ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, … much friend time as possible, to finish college applications and to maybe let her childhood best friend Sebastian know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be epic–one of opportunities and chances. Until one choice, one moment, destroys everything. Now Lena isn’t looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same. Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian might never forgive her for what happened. For what she let happen. With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when her and her friends’ entire existences have been redefined? How can she move on when tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed? Don’t miss these unforgettable reads by Jennifer L. Armentrout, available from Harlequin TEEN: The Problem with Forever The Dark Elements series: Bitter Sweet Love (ebook prequel novella) White Hot Kiss Stone Cold Touch Every Last Breath
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As with all Jennifer L Armentrout books, If There’s No Tomorrow was a book I couldn’t put down. The main character, Lena, has a lot of issues to deal with throughout the book. She describes herself as an average 17 year old girl. Shes loves to read, she’s on the volleyball team, and she’s working very hard to get early acceptance to the school of her choice. But, Lena makes a choice one night that not only affects her, its affects everyone around her.
“I was a runner, too, and not the healthy kind. When things got too rough, I checked out, just like Dad had. I made an art form of looking toward tomorrow instead of focusing on today.”
Lena’s friendships are ultimately put to the test after her life altering choice. It’s easy to let some things fall apart after a tragedy occurs. Lena’s friends try to help her come to terms and cope with her decisions but she pushes them away. Sebastian has been Lena’s friend since they were eight year old. They have been in love with each other for just as long but neither one has wanted to admit their feelings. Sebastian stands up to Lena and will not let her retreat into herself. Sebastian is swoon-worthy like many of JLA’s other male leads.
“None of us are promised a tomorrow…We don’t always get a later.”
This book is beautifully written. The subject matter is something important that needs to be talked about. While this is geared towards YA, what happens in ITNT, hits the mark. It shows how one choice can alter your life immensely. How we can take our lives and safety of others around us for granted. This book was spot on with the social media aspect too. It shows that people are quick to be the judge and jury of someone’s choice. Lena has a very difficult time overcoming what she thinks everyone else is thinking about her. Her character does a lot of growing and changing in this book.
I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. This book will stick with me for a very long time.
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: If There’s No Tomorrow
: Jennifer L. Armentrout
: 4/5
This book pulled on so many of my heart strings. It is such an emotional read and therefore some parts were also hard to read for me. This book deals with some major grief and (survivors) guilt… Going through a period of grief myself, I think that is why this book was extra hard to read for me personally. That said, it was also good to read about it and I found some new insights. There is definitely romance in this book, but I feel the main story is more about some heavy topics and I liked that. Overall, it is a beautiful, yet tragic story and I recommend reading it, just be aware of the heavy topics.
A lot of my reviews are also available with photo at my Bookstagram: @justmyfantasyworld
“I knew I couldn’t go back and start a new beginning. I couldn’t rewrite the middle. All I could do was change tomorrow, as long as I had one.”
Standalone| Contemporary| Young Adult
If There’s No Tomorrow is a book, I dare to say, we all can relate to it. Been there, done that. I feel stupid right now.
Emotional, sad and so real. It deals with very real problems.
God, ALL THE FEELS. No kidding.
I felt related to Lena in so many ways.
And I adored Lena and Sebastian’s friendship.
Let me say though, I think he’s one of the most underrated JLA characters! He’s so cute, caring, and patient
“Why now?” I asked again. “Why—” (…) “Because we were too stupid to do it before and because we’re still alive right now.”
“What does waiting do? None of us are promised tomorrow… We don’t always get a later.” He kissed my temple again, then pulled back, his eyes finding mine. “I’m done living as we do.
This book delivers a really important message and I hope more people can read it.
“We don’t always get tomorrow. Sometimes it’s not because of death. Sometimes it’s the decisions we make for ourselves.”
To wrap it up let me quote part of Jen’s acknowledgments
“I hope Lena’s story helps prevents more stories like hers.”
If There’s No Tomorrow is a beautifully written standalone young adult contemporary novel. I avoided reading this book for the longest time because I heard that it puts you through an emotional wringer. And then I had to read it for the JLA Booktalk and that gave me the push I needed.
The book is quite tragic and it deals with very realistic issues that may hit close to home for some. One action has irrevocably changed the young Lena’s life, and those of her friends, forever. The book is told entirely from Lena’s POV, so you can see how she is dealing with what has happened. It was very difficult to watch her struggle and deal with the consequences. Suddenly she was dreading the next day and she would much rather bury her head in the sand than deal with all the trauma. You can also see how it affects the closest to her, some being more supportive than others.
I adored Lena’s childhood best friend Sebastian. He was very supportive and patient, never pushing Lena into talking. He also never let her to push him away like she managed to do with her girlfriends. Instead he was always there, silently supporting her, patiently waiting for her to be ready to open up to him. He is a genuinely nice guy that you can’t help but love. He did act like a doofus at the beginning of the book and some of the things he did reminded me of a little boy in a pre-school who pulled at his crush’s pigtails to show her he liked her. But nonetheless, he was there when it really counted and after what Lena’s gone through, he wasted no more time telling her how he really felt.
Part of me wishes that the book was written from multiple POVs because it would have been interesting to see other’s views of what has taken place and their own personal struggles with it. While Lena was probably affected by it the most, she was definitely not the only one. It affected each person in different ways.
This book delivered a very important message and I think that it should be read by every young adult out there. I will definitely make my future kids read this book and hopefully learn from it because it realistically portrays the grave consequences some actions might have.
(Reread Review)
Heartbreakingly beautiful.
This is a reread review. It contains opinions that some people might consider spoilers.
I first read the book back in 2018 and you would think that now, being a reread, I wouldn’t cry like the first time around. Yeah right…I cried like a baby.
This book is just so real, so full of emotions.
And fair warning this book brings up a serious subject.
Some may say that it’s a theme that has been beaten to the end, but the way Jennifer L. Armentrout wrote it, is just so powerful. You can feel all the pain, and sadness and guilt. The struggle to get pass the trauma of what happened and try to live with all of it.
Lena’s struggle through the book made me think about a lot of things, choices I made, and about moral grey areas. About the need that humans have, to always blame someone for things that sometimes are not about blame.
And this book also made me feel some anger. Anger about what was lost and how it wasn’t fair, about the way a situation is judge when, in reality, the truth is never that simple. Abbi was a character that I hated for a minute, really, until I thought about her side and really saw her reasons.
I do wish we had seen more of Keith’s struggle I really like that goofy.
Sebastian wasn’t perfect…..but the way he always supported Lena and didn’t let her shut him out was so sweet.
And Lena’s relationship with her father I really liked the way it evolved at the end.
This book was a roller-coaster of emotions, it brought to light a sensitive subject that no one likes to really talk about, but that is a common reality. I really liked the way it explored the good that therapy can bring, how it can help someone when they don’t know how to help themselves or let their families and friends help.
This is my favorite JLA stand alone. The woman can’t write a bad book. She is my favorite author for a reason and this book it’s one of the 60 something reasons
I love all things JLA. The storyline was great as were all the characters.
‘Tomorrow will be better.’
“One night had irrevocably changed all of our lives. One choice had altered the course of what we all were supposed to become. What would I have done differently that night if I’d known there was no tomorrow? Everything. I would’ve done everything differently.”
Wow. Just wow. You’d think I’d be used to JLA’s writing and storytelling by now, but every time I pick up on of her books I get completely blown away. There is a reason why she after all these years of my bookworm-ness still is my absolute favorite author and If There’s No Tomorrow solidified it into my heart even deeper.
I don’t have any strong enough words to explain my experience with her writing. The closest I can think of is that it is therapeutic. I can’t remember when I last cried this hard or this much while reading If There’s No Tomorrow. Hell, I stayed up to four am just reading and crying my eyes out and it felt so amazing. Not the tragedy in the book of course, but releasing all the tears and emotions and being so deeply moved by the story. The incident in the story isn’t something I have been through personally, but it was still so relatable for me, and probably for a lot of readers, dealing with such heavy and broad subjects like guilt, denial, emptiness, loss and school drama. I resent anyone who could keep a dry eye reading through this, that’s how hard this book hit home and it was absolutely tragically beautiful.
Survival’s guilt is underrated and not really thought much about in today’s society. This book really showed it shouldn’t be. There is a lot that can come from it, both bad and good and a lot of perspectives and thoughts I never even knew. The depth If There’s No Tomorrow took it to was what blew me the most. This absolutely could be a self help book to anyone dealing with survival guilt or just guilt and depression in general and I love how the author’s passion and emotions shined through the pages. This is one of the reasons why I love her books so much, because her stories have so many layers and messages. The stories can be humorous, tragic, thoughtful, dramatic and impactful all at the same time without getting messy or unrealistic. It just flow so naturally and perfectly catches my interest and heart every time. How anyone can give this book a low rating I will never understand.
I love Jennifer Armentrout’s books, both contemporary and fantasy, but this, hands-down, is my favorite. Not to give away anything, but if you like suspense, friends to lovers, realistic dynamics between friends, lots of teen angst, then you have to read this book. It’s heart-warming, tear-jerking and gave me all the feels. Jennifer has a way with writing teens and this was a book I could read over and over. Highly recommend.
Wow such a great book about drunk driving and listening to yourself when you think something isn’t right. What is the repercussions of everyone involved when a drunk driving accident happens and how do you deal with the aftermath when 4 of your friends die and you are the only one who survived. The book is devastating but also very beautiful and life-affirming.
I can definitely recommend this book.
Lena makes one mistake, a huge mistake, and her life, along with some of her classmates lives, are changed forever. When dealing with the aftermath of the accident, Lena tries to figure out how to move on when others cannot. Her senior year is supposed to be one of joy when thinking about graduation and college. Things have changed and, with the help of Sebastian, her childhood best friend, Lena is beginning to think that she will be stuck in the rut forever. Armentrout has hit on a subject that happens more times than one would think and wrote it well.
*5 Stars*
Copy kindly received via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Whoa. This one was intense. It’s a very emotional story about the choices that people make, which can go horribly wrong, and dealing with the aftermath. Particularly survivors guilt.
I went into this one fairly blind and I was hooked right from the word go. This is a very real and relatable story, and as you read, it really makes you think about how often the events that unfolded in this story really happen. All too often, unfortunately.
Lena is our main character and we learn about she and her friends until suddenly something happens and we’re thrown into this emotional roller coaster of a story. Whilst I have never dealt with something like this myself, every single thing that she felt and feared was completely relatable and understandable and I was on edge as I read this and wondering what would happen between her and her remaining friends.
She has this complicated relationship with her best friend and neighbour Sebastian, she has her friends at school and they were all there that fateful night. Because the story is introduced to us with an initial part of the life changing event, it then immediately goes back the vents before hand and leading up to this time. So we really get to know some of these main characters before tragedy strikes.
After the event, we’re struggling with Lena to process everything, and this was such a real book that I felt everything she was going through. It’s definitely not a light story, but something that I think we can ALL relate to. One split second decision can change a life, or lives, forever. And for more than one person.
A real, raw and emotional tale, I highly recommend.
Hardcover – 4.5 STARS!
Audiobook – 4.5 Stars
I’ve read quite a few of Armentrout’s books, but I enjoy her YA stories the most. In fact, The Problem With Forever was one of my favorites reads from last year. I was excited to see another YA contemporary along similar lines as that one – physical and/or psychological trauma and a friends-to-love romance. Of course, it was altogether different, as well and I wasn’t disappointed. After reading the author’s YA stories, I can’t believe it’s the same author as some of her NA-genre books. While I find those a bit contrived and sometimes cheesy, her YA books come across as realistic and less cliché. The “feels” run the entire spectrum in If There’s No Tomorrow. At the same time as it is poignant and heart-wrenching, it is also romantic and ultimately hopeful. Although this story didn’t outdo what I loved about The Problem With Forever, it is a great story in it’s own right.
A quick note: I also listened to an audiobook for parts of this story and found the narration to be stellar.
I thought this was a very hard and honest book to read. It dealt with death and anger and guilt. Even though the subject matter was hard to deal with.
I liked the characters. They were real and honest with problems and feelings, just like any other young person.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good book.
Wow! It took me a couple days to fully digest this book. It dealt with some really big issues. I feel like any day of the week you could turn on the TV and see a story dealing with similar events. It’s definitely relevant and I think all young adults would be affected by Lena’s story.
The blurb is vague about what exactly happens to Lena so I don’t want to spill the beans, but let’s just say it’s life changing. It’s one of those things that you hear about, but arrogantly think won’t ever happen to you. But this book shows that it could.
Lena is your typical high school student; she plays volleyball, has been crushing on the boy next door for ages, and is looking forward to starting her senior year. On decision changes her life. I liked Lena. She was relatable and down to earth. She wasn’t perfect and struggled sometimes, but I think she showed strength.
Sebastian is another swoon worthy book boyfriend. He was sweet, supportive, kind and, protective. He’s Lena’s next-door neighbor and best friend and supported her through everything. I loved watching their relationship evolve. It wasn’t easy, but they found their way.
This book has a powerful message. It’s about finding yourself, falling in love, the choices you make, and growing up
So, as far as JLA goes, this books doesn’t make it into my all time favorites category, but it was definitely a good read. Also a hard read. I think with a book like this, a lot of people can relate to being lucky, and not suffering the consequences of some of our not so great choices in our younger years (or not so young years in some cases). Some people may find being confronted with that a turn off and a reason not to read this book, but the realness and depth is what i really enjoyed. I will be making my daughters read this when they are a bit older… maybe it will help them be brave if they ever find themselves in this sort of situation.
Jennifer Armentrout at her best. This moving and heartbreaking/heart-healing story is both a cautionary tale and a testament to the power of friendship and love to heal and live with the choices we make.