Quick Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson is the story of  Lennie, a seventeen year old girl, who is coming to terms with the loss of her older sister and moving on with her life while falling in love for the first time.  Here is the synopsis from the the author's website:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery sister Bailey.  But when Bailey dies suddenly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, finds herself struggling to balance two.  Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own.  Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent.  For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it.  But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

I really enjoyed this book.  It is a sweet story with characters, though quirky and at times a little over the top, you could see in your own life.  I like the additional use of storytelling through Lennie's notes/poems throughout the book.  The notes were additional insight to her mind and where she was at in the grieving process.  Most of the love stories in YA novels annoy me due to the quick and unnatural pace of the relationship, but in this novel you can see the progression and understand why the young love birds become connected to each other.  If you are in the mood for a story that tackles some real life issues without being overly serious you'll enjoy this story.