“When life knocks you down…Get up.”

Abbie Emmons, 100 Days of Sunlight

Time for another book review, this one is my new favorite!

A little bit of backstory:

I read this book in a day. Yesterday. And I am in love!

This book had been on my TBR list for years. Abbie Emmons is a self-published author, and I have followed her YouTube channel for years. I love supporting fellow indie authors, and Abbie’s writing tips and programs are super beneficial. So I have really wanted to read one of her books.

I came across 100 Days of Sunlight in the library and felt my chest burst with excitement. There it was. I finally had my hands on a book I had been wanting to read for years. It’s always a great feeling when you get to check off a book from your list that wasn’t recently added. It’s even more gratifying when that book is better than you could have expected.

I’m not joking. This book made me cry. Literally.

The story:

So what is it about?

In the first chapter, we meet Tessa. Tessa was in a serious accident that left her temporarily blind and angry at the world. Then along comes Weston. Weston is an “obnoxious optimistic”. But there is so much more to him. He brings light to Tessa’s darkness in a way no one else can. He shows her there is so much more in the world than sight. As they grow closer, Tessa can’t image life without him. But Weston hasn’t told her everything. He has a past of his own, one that has left him broken, one that allowed him to truly understand Tessa and break down her walls. When Tessa’s sight returns, he has to make a decision. Disappear and leave Tessa’s world, “or overcome his fear of being seen.”

First off, there is so much more to this book than you would think at first glance. It’s about pain, brokenness, heartbreak, and anger. It’s about finding friendship, light in the darkness, and choosing the hard path because it’s the right thing to do.

Tessa is homeschooled, and as a homeschooler myself I loved it. Weston is a runner and a fighter, but he’s also a big brother. As the oldest in my family, I connected with his will to be strong for his brothers, to protect them. These characters are so utterly human they reflect parts of ourselves we may not know we were hiding.

As an ASL interpreter, I work with Deaf individuals and have other connections to the special needs communities. This book did a wonderful job representing people with handicaps by showing their strength, focusing not on what makes one different, but what makes someone special. It’s a very important lesson, especially when it comes to accessibility and simply human kindness. See the whole person.

This story is so simple that it allows the beauty and poetry of the writing to suck you in and take you places only the characters understand. The complexity of human emotion is felt through the love we have for others and the fear of being vulnerable.

I’m in a total book hangover, unable to separate my thoughts from the emotions and power of this story. I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Everyone should read this book.

Rating:

The author herself has rated her book as PG. I would agree. There is some language in the book, but the story is clean in all other respects. A little bit of kissing, but in a cute, romantic way where you couldn’t turn away.

Check out more about 100 Days of Sunlight here.

If you’ve read the book or have seen any of Abbie Emmon’s amazing writing videos, let us know what you think below! As always, more book recommendations are encouraged!

Until next time, my friends…

-R.E. Klinzing