When You Were Here

by Daisy Whitney

Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, When You Were Here explores the two most powerful forces known to man-death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity.

Danny's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn't know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a letter from his mom's property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother's memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Teen, Travel

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2013

About the author

By day, Daisy Whitney is a reporter and ghostwriter. At night, she writes novels for teens and is the author of THE MOCKINGBIRDS and its sequel THE RIVALS (Little, Brown). Her third novel WHEN YOU WERE HERE releases in June 2013 (Little, Brown), and her fourth novel STARRY NIGHTS (Bloomsbury) hits shelves in September 2013. When Daisy's not inventing fictional high school worlds, she can be found somewhere north of San Francisco walking her adorable dog, watching online TV with her fabulous husband or playing with her fantastic kids.  A graduate of Brown University, she believes in shoes, chocolate chip cookies and karma.  You can follow her writing blog and new media adventures at DaisyWhitney.com. (I don't rate books on GoodReads, nor do I check the site so please friend me on Facebook instead.)

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to do something I have never done before. Leave a series of pictures to explain my feelings through out this book. \

When I first started reading When You Were Here.




In the middle when Danny is really getting to know what happened and feeling his mothers presence all around in Tokyo.



NOW THE GOOD STUFF. THE TWISTS NEAR THE MID ENDING. At first I was like..




But then as I read on my anger set in. I felt the betrayal and hurt that Danny felt.



Now the ending..that is really where all the deep stuff comes. Where Danny realizes everything in his life and knows what he wants and...



Now that I am done with the book I am just sitting here like...



Really though I am sitting here thinking of all the truth that was spoken in this book. About living life and coming to peace with everything and really I am just pondering it all...





No book has made me feel that way.



I HIGHLY SUGGEST READING THIS.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I have students who write about childhood traumas, and I feel bad giving them a C on their paper, because if someone spills their guts out, how can you give them a C? But I have to separate the event and emotion from the form. That's not to say this book is poorly written - it's not - but just because Danny's mom dies of cancer doesn't mean this book deserves a higher than 2.5 star rating.

The book begins right before Danny's high school graduation. He's the valedictorian, but he's angry and unhappy, since his beloved mom didn't hang on until he graduated; she died just a couple months prior after a five-year battle with cancer. Also, Danny's girlfriend, Holland, broke up with him a few months before with no explanation. Searching for answers, he flies off to Tokyo where his mom sought treatment in her final days.

Tokyo?

Yes. Because, see, Danny's family has an apartment in Tokyo, with like a manager and everything. Their home in L.A. is paid for. They have all kinds of money. So Danny doesn't have parents. But he does have cash.

L.A. Gotta love it (I lived there, so I speak from experience).

I was so turned off by all this cavorting around - hey, let's buy a one-way ticket to Tokyo! - I was rolling my eyes pretty consistently. This is a world where dogs get flown in by private jet. Danny's mom can afford to retire at a young age and seek cancer treatment all over the world. How many cancer patients can do that? And how many kids who lose their parents are completely set for life? Not many. The opulence (and it IS opulence in my world) just left a bad taste in my mouth.

I liked the descriptions of Tokyo, as well as the love Danny has for his dog. However, many other plot points (including his estrangement from his sister, who was adopted from China and leaves the States to return to her roots) felt contrived and unnecessary. I also didn't buy the reason behind Holland dumping Danny; it was so angsty and unbelievable. They were childhood friends; their moms were besties. Surely she knew she could trust him?

Too many deep issues are resolved here too easily. Danny has a huge change of heart, makes amends, etc. Throughout the book, he's popping pain killers like candy, but addiction isn't mentioned. Apparently, once he's happy and comes to terms with life and death, he'll just stop (right, because that works for everyone).

I guess money can't cure cancer, but it sure helps.

[Melannie :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad to see YA authors are branching out and leaving High School cafeterias behind. Can't wait to see where Daisy's talent takes us <3


__________________________________________


May 29th.

I always feel awkward when I review books (which is very unfortunate since that’s what I do) but this time I feel especially inadequate. Because this book was beautiful and heartfelt and all I could think about was: WHAT KIND OF CANCER DOES ELIZABETH HAVE?


Really. My mind couldn’t stop swimming around all the possibilities and the possible treatments, and then I was just like; tea that cures cancer?! BS!

Yeah, not my classiest moment but sometimes I get carried away because I want everyone to win against cancer and I want to do everything possible and use ever single drug that’s been proven works.


I couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t stop thinking what they could have done to save Elizabeth. I was a mess of feelings but not for the right reasons I think.


But then, when Danny (Elizabeth’s son) learns about the reason why Holland left him; I stopped, breathed in, and it was like I saw the story with different eyes, a new light was shed over the pages. I started to get the real point of the story.


That’s when my heart started breaking, because when your mom dies, omg I can’t even. Danny’s inconsolable, I was too; cancer’s an awful thing but when the person you love most in the world has it, how are you suppose to function still? I am fortunate enough to have my mom with me (thank God) but I still got Danny’s pain, felt it like it was my own, and grieved right along with him like it was my lost.


Despite all the sadness this book brought to my life (and believe me, it was a lot) there were some awesome aspects to it too. The most amazing of them all was definitely Japan. Now I’ve never been one of those girls obsessed with Japanese stuff, before this book I haven’t even considered ever visiting there, but I had another thing coming because Japan sounds awesome! The Karaoke! All the crazy colors! The fun merchandise! It sounds like I could be one happy gal over there.


Also, I love boy point of views, and I personally think Daisy Whitney nailed it! I totally believed Danny’s voice, he didn’t seem like he was trying too hard at being all macho and ‘I’m a man, erase all doubt!’, he was teenage-boy-confused not only because his mom just died, or because he is now an orphan, or because the-big-secret-Holland-kept-from-him, it was everything that rolled into a big ball of destruction that crushed the life out of him. The real magic came when we got to see Danny rising from the ashes with the help of a city where dreams come true.

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really find anything wrong about the book plot-wise and even writing-wise. In fact, it's kind of an original story about a young man trying to find himself back after losing everyone he loves especially his mom who has just passed away recently. Suddenly he decides a visit to Japan in the hopes of understanding his mom better, to find answers to some of his questions. There is even diversity in the characters and the setting so it's kind of puzzling why I didn't like the book as much as I thought I would.

I couldn't pinpoint exactly though what went wrong but maybe it's the overall lack of emotional impact because as far as I'm concerned, the subject of the book alone is already supposed to be full of emotions. I'm supposed to be empathizing with Danny as he goes through his grieving process but mostly I got angst and privilege and self-indulgence. It's a real deal breaker when the character is already unlikable and also difficult to connect to.

But still, like I said it isn't bad at all. It's still worth a read. The other characters especially Kana, Holland, and even the dog are likable enough to compensate for Danny's flaws. Lol. And just check the list of cons I enumerated above.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Danny Kellerman wanted his mom to see his graduation - after fighting cancer for five years, she almost made it, but succumbed to the disease just two months before his valedictorian speech. His address to his high school relates to the meat of his journey: F*ck high school. F*ck everyone. I'm outta here. In an attempt to distance himself from his magnetic ex-girlfriend and to uncover his mother's secrets, he travels to Tokyo, where he meets an uncouth yet helpful girl and a doctor who may hold the truths behind his mom's passing.

I liked When You Were Here. It delved into Danny's recovery process in a realistic way. His relationship with his dog, the platonic friendship he forms with Kana, and the reconciliation between himself and his sister stood out as the book's high points. The lesson of accepting and understanding things you don't agree with struck me as well-written and vibrant; Danny must come to terms with a bunch of difficult realizations, one of which took me completely by surprise.

However, I felt an odd emotional distance from Danny, similar to how I felt about Willem in Just One Year by Gayle Forman (even though the books are quite distinct). Daisy Whitney could have focused on fleshing out his connections to other characters instead of trying to add in tangents that related to the story, but failed to contribute any true meaning. For example, Danny's burning desire for Holland felt forced and only based on past anecdotes, and perhaps allotting more pages to their romance as opposed to several paragraphs on religion would have powered up the pathos.

Overall, I would recommend When You Were Here to fans of contemporary young-adult fiction, especially those interested in a male protagonist who faces the death of family. Not my favorite or least favorite book, just one that will stick with me for only a short amount of time.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5.

Heartbreaking, aching, and yet utterly hopeful.

Danny's mom, who has toughed out five years of cancer, wants to make it just long enough to see him graduate valedictorian from high school. But before that date comes, his mom dies. Devastated by the loss, as well as the loss of his father a few years before and the loss of his adopted sister who chose to move to China to rediscover her roots, Danny is angry, broken, and confused about what the future could possibly hold. There's also another complication: Holland. She's the girl he'd been in love with forever and the girl who was in every way perfect for him. But their relationship ended much too soon and without any resolution. Danny was left in the dark when she suddenly disappeared from his life.

Faced with big decisions about where to go from here, Danny chooses to figure out what it is that kept his mom going for so long. Why she continued to be hopeful and happy, even though her life was near the end. To do this, Danny decides he's going to fly to the apartment they owned in Tokyo, meet the doctor who meant so much to his mother, and really think about what he wants out of his life.

Along the way, Danny meets Kana, who helped take care of the apartment before his mom died. She's quirky, she's energetic, and she's invested in making sure Danny makes the most of his time in Tokyo. It's not at all romantic -- which is a huge plus in my book -- but rather, it's Danny's opportunity to rediscover the value and importance of friendship.

Maybe most important was the twist in the story. That's Holland's story. The reason Holland disappeared from Danny's life was that she got pregnant. Since Danny had been the only boy she'd been with and their relationship hadn't been going on that long and she had been on the pill, it was a reality she hadn't quite wrapped her head around. What made it worse was when she went into early labor and when baby Sarah died. Danny is the only person not in the loop on this, and he learns about his daughter when going through his mom's things in Tokyo. His mom had known about the baby, but she and Holland both chose not to tell Danny. It wasn't a choice out of cruelty but rather, it was done to protect him because he had already lost so much in his life. And the truth of it was that the entire situation was scary and heartbreaking for everyone involved.

When Danny does get to meet the doctor his mother had invested so much in, not only does he understand the value and purpose of his mom's life, but he has a moment and realizes what value his own is worth.

Whitney handles all of the topics in this book so delicately and powerfully in equal measure. Danny's voice is knock out, authentic, and it is pained. Danny is a boy of action -- his feelings play out in the way he acts and the words he chooses to use. They're not always kind and he's not always rational. But these things happen the way they do because it's how Danny works through his pain and his grief. It's the way he begins to make sense of the world. This is why he chooses to get on that plane and go to Tokyo. It's why he doesn't simply DWELL in the anguish but rather, he works and walks through it, step by tortured step. Where the twist element came in, another author could have pushed the envelope too much, adding simply one more thing to the list of horrible things going on in a character's life. But Whitney introduces and weaves this in so carefully and thoughtfully that it instead amplifies the core of who Danny, his mother, and Holland really are as people.

Danny's understanding of his mother's fight -- and his mother's desire to quit the fight -- comes to a head when he meets with the doctor to whom she claimed saved her and to whom she dedicated so much energy and belief. And boy, did I cry. It started on page 233, when Danny understands that choosing the time one lives and the time one dies was the central force of his mother's hope, even in her battle with cancer. It's philosophical without being pandering, and it's spiritual without being spiritual (if that even makes sense). Whitney excels are imbuing the narrative with the Eastern and Western philosophy not only in how she structures the story and Danny's journey, but even in the way that death and life are explored.

The writing in this book is sharp, searing, and noteworthy. It doesn't take a back seat to the complexities of the story nor the complexities of the characters. I give huge credit, too, for how well-done the sex scenes in this book are. There is a great contrast in the sort of sexual relationship Danny has with Trina -- it's one where she is in control, where she calls the shots, and where she gets what she wants and he takes it because he feels so empty and broken from all of the loss in his life. It's not Holland, and it's not an emotional and deeply satisfying act of intimacy. When Danny and Holland reconnect in Tokyo, after laying bare all of the things that were keeping them at a distance, their intimacy is raw, powerful, and healthy. Danny is in it not just physically but emotionally and mentally. And maybe what made it so good in that moment was that almost nothing is said at all about the mechanics. Because that didn't matter.

I've read a lot of grief books, but without doubt, this one stands out. It's so good it hurts to think about. My one big qualm -- and this is such a non-qualm for most people -- is that I HATE the comparison to Forman's Where She Went. Yes, both tackle the loss of a relationship from a male perspective and both were written by female authors, but I think Whitney nails a male voice in a way that Forman didn't quite get. Will readers who like Where She Went like this book? Absolutely. But I think that Whitney's book has a far wider appeal in terms of reaching male readers (and part of the blame on that is in the fact Forman's book has a girl on the cover).

Bonus points for a kick ass pet sidekick in the story.

Longer review to come much closer to publication date.

[Keertana · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as Young Adult - and New Adult - is concerned, When You Were Here has so much to offer. Whitney has broken free of the constraints these two genres seem to impale and created a novel that, really, has so much to love. From the beginning itself, the grief of Danny, our narrator, is so palpable. Not only has Danny's mother recently passed away after a long, five-year battle with cancer, but his father was killed in a car crash years back and he is now alone. With graduation looming around the corner, Danny is reminded of his mother - and her loss - even more, especially as his graduation was what she lived for. And ultimately couldn't see. Now, Danny is simply seeking answers, both of his mother's life and his own. Quite simply, Danny cannot understand how his mother, who was dying, could be so happy when he, well and truly alive, cannot be.

And this is such a beautiful idea to explore. I feel as if life is always throwing us curves, testing us to our limits, and this question, this unattainable answer of happiness, is forever crossing our minds. Or at least mind, at any rate. As such, to see Danny attempt to answer this in his own way, on a trip to Tokyo, the city he loves, was a truly beautiful journey. Danny is grieving, he is sarcastic, he is in pain, and yet he is curious and his love for Tokyo and its culture and lifestyle is so palpable. Everything about the setting of this novel, including the people Danny meets there who soon become his friends, are so vividly written and portrayed. Whitney's characters are fleshed out and solid, the type of people who have flaws and are still loved. And they all have their back stories, their pasts, their problems. And they're all still sticking it out, each day at a time.

For me, this is where my issues with this novel begin to emerge. While I appreciate the efforts Whitney took in creating such stark and realistic characters, I do feel as if our exposure to them was too minimal. Danny's sister, for instance, who is adopted shares a gripping story of her own growth and acceptance into finding herself in her Chinese roots. Clearly, while this is important to Danny, that importance is never felt to the reader for her screen time is so short. Even the characters who did play a greater role, such as Kana, the Japanese girl Danny befriends, remain static upon the page because, despite their depth and impact on Danny, their influence is never fully felt emotionally.

And yet, When You Were Here does have its emotional moments. Danny himself undergoes a slow, creeping growth that, though concluding in a neat epiphany, was very well-written. Holland, though, had the story that drew me in the deepest. Danny has had a massive crush on Holland, his neighbor and the daughter of his mother's best friend, ever since he was young. With carefully timed flashbacks and present-day scenes, their love story is built up, from its nascence to its sudden end. Surprisingly, though, the romance is subtle, never resorting to meaningless drama and proving to be rather poignant overall. Even the sex scenes - the few of them that lie in this book - are awkward and realistic, making me adore this novel for the places it was willing to go and the boundaries it was willing to climb over.

Still, the fact remains that, in the end, When You Were Here didn't do a whole lot for me. It was a quick and memorable read, one that managed to pack a punch in its short pages, but sadly not enough of a punch. Whitney's novel has been compared to Forman's Where She Went and while I believe that fans of Forman will find much to love in Whitney's latest, the two novels are vastly dissimilar. Where Forman's work is marketed as a romance, proving to be an in-depth analysis on a young man as he comes to terms with himself and his life, Whitney's novel is really about a young man...and so many more people too. Danny's story was not the all-consuming emotional investment I expected it to be. Granted, it's a lovely book, full of tales that will likely influence many readers, but it didn't do much for me simply because I wanted more from it. And the fault most definitely lies with me - I am not an easy reader to please. On that count, When You Were Here is a beautiful edition to your shelves (LOOK at that cover!) and a touching novel with unforgettable characters. Just don't expect too much from it and it will likely deliver the full impact you want it to.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars I read this entire book waiting to feel sadness or joy or grief, or...something. It seemed like I was on the brink a few times, none of those emotions were ever really stirred. I'm afraid I didn't connect with this one on anywhere near the level most people seem to be.

Short review to come.

[Wisterious Woman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. It was hard to like the main character and the whole story was unbelievable. Boys have to separate from Mommy when they are a teenager. That is an important part of becoming a man. If he was ten then I could see losing his mother as a traumatic event. But teenage boys are rarely best buds with a parent and selflessly hang out to take care of them.

The book is a good example of an author blurring any sense of what is ethical and letting her character get away with poor behavior and illegal activities. Life has consequences and young adults need to know that--a book that doesn't come to grips with that is doing a disservice to the reader.

Danny had years to grieve his mother's illness. But does he accept the inevitable and plan for a future without her? No--he acts like the world owes him--he behaves like a bratty little rich kid. And yet the author lets us know that he was mature beyond his years caring for his mother through a long illness and cleaning up her vomit. He shares all his secrets with her. Really, how many 17 year old boys would actually be that intimate with their mother?

It is hard to believe he is actually the valedictorian of his high school class. He gets into Stanford, his girl friend is beautiful, his sex toy is beautiful, he has a great dog, his Dad always did fun things with him, he has enough money that he doesn't have to show respect for other people's possessions, and he has no guilty feeling over breaking the law or doing something that is less than honorable.

It is unbelievable that he is a world traveler and has an apartment he can stay in when he goes to Tokyo but has never bothered to learn the language.

The author lets him get away with bad behavior and never suffer the consequences:he damages someone else's car, he has sex just for sex sake with someone he doesn't love, he takes drugs that aren't prescribed for him, he gets his dog into a foreign country without going through quarantine. He is incredibly self absorbed and doesn't really have a clue about what love is all about.

My Dad was sick from a stroke and died when I was 17. So I know you just have to move on and get on with life. I didn't go around breaking things to express my anger at the unfairness of life.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Also posted at Oops! I Read A Book Again*

First and foremost, thank you to Kelly of Inkslinger PR for the chance to read one of my favorite novels of the year and that's saying a lot as I've read tons of five-star books just this May. But not all five-star books are gonna be in my favorites shelf but this is one book I will never forget.

Danny Kellerman will graduate as the valedictorian in his high school but no one will be able to see it. His dad died in an accident years ago, his estranged sister is in China and his mom died of cancer. He has three months left before college, three months left with nothing to do but remember all the pain, grief and sadness in his life. Until a letter from Japan comes, a letter from their apartment caretaker's daughter, informing him that his mom has left some of her belongings there. Danny then goes to Tokyo to try and piece together his mom's last months there. How she lived, who she met, where she went and hopefully come into peace with his mother's passing by knowing how she remained happy even in her dying months. In there, he meets Kana, the caretaker's daughter, who has been a friend to his mom. Kana takes him to relive his mother's last stay in Japan and in the process learns a whole lot more about his mom and about himself.

I know, that was vague but I won't divulge the plot because the fun or more aptly, the pain is in the not knowing. When the rug gets pulled right under you, you will become a slobbering mess of tears. The pain this book caused me was tangible. My chest ached for Danny. He's such a real character that I felt everything he felt. I cheered him on, I hated everyone he hated, it was as if I was in his shoes. I understood him on every level, his way of thinking, his feelings, his intentions, his thoughts. It is easy to relate to a character, to root for him/her, to want him/her to win and to grow. But how many novels are out there where you can say that you not only related to the character but you felt like you were the character? This is one of those novels.

The novel is told in Danny's perspective and in that aspect alone, it is worth a read. I don't think there are a lot of draining contemporary novels with a guy as a main character. When You Were Here was realistically written as well. It's inspired by a person Daisy knew and while this is fiction, all the feelings were truthful. The characters felt like real people, dimensional and flawed. The writing was beautiful, in that you can quote blocks and blocks and passages and passages of text, type it into a picture and everyone on Tumblr will reblog it. There's a cloud of sorrow and serenity looming over it, without veering into the overdramatic. It's like a good dramedy film such as 50/50, where the parts that were meant to be funny will make you laugh and the parts where you should choke back a sob will make you do just that.

Daisy Whitney, I am hereby offering you my glued together minced heart served on a sushi platter. When You Were Here was wonderfully heartbreaking yet uplifting. I cried while eating hashbrowns at McDonald's. Guys, potatoes and crying don't go together. Potatoes are my go-to comfort food. I didn't know I could cry while eating hashbrowns but When You Were Here did just that. It's not outright depressing but it's sad. And yet it's happy and hopeful, showing you the beauty of life, its nuances, its strained relationships, mending said relationships and finally, letting go of life and finding inner peace. Read it NOW or I will be forced to put you on the edge of a cliff and dangle you there until you swear that you'll read it. It will be physically painful and heavy on the chest but the lift, the lift is worth it. When I finished When You Were Here, I didn't read another book just yet. I just holed up in my room, curled up in my sheets with the rain as my background and felt and let it all soak in and eventually reread When You Were Here. Twice in a day? That's a first.

I recommend When You Were Here to any reader looking for an emotional read. Yes, it is emotional as you will feel a spectrum of emotions while reading it. Happiness, sadness, grief, sympathy, shock, loneliness, gratefulness and a whole lot more. If I could just reach out to the characters in the book and hug them so tight, I would. Sure, books hinging on the death of a parent are common in the young adult landscape. But Daisy Whitney has crafted a tale packed with punches to the heart yet peppered with peace, acceptance and love. Heart and gut-wrenching, When You Were Here will break you apart and put you right back piece by piece. When You Were Here will move you and make you move forward, to live your life and to love.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I need to start with an explanation as to why it took me over a month to read a book that weighs in at less than 300 pages, since that is totally not the norm for me. This is a perfect example of why I prefer physical galleys. With e-galleys, I stick them on my Nook and read them whenever I'm away from home and have some free time for reading, but that doesn't necessarily happen to me all that often, really, so then it takes me about a month to read a single, short book. I mention this solely to say that it likely did have a negative impact on my reading experience. Perhaps, had I read this in a sitting or two, I would have liked it more than I actually did, and come closer to the feelings I expected to have.

I do think When You Were Here is an excellent book, well-written and meaningful. Daisy Whitney considers cancer in a way I've not encountered before. The focus is less on the disease itself but how Danny's mom lived with the disease. Whitney brings When You Were Here to a sweet, uplifting conclusion, but one that does not feel overly optimistic, rather real and hopeful.

My favorite parts were after Danny went to Japan to find out about his mom's life when she was there, after receiving a note from the caretaker of the family's apartment in Japan about the disposal of her almost unused medications. Curious about why she wasn't taking them, angry that she may not have been trying her hardest to live until his graduation like she always promised, he decides to fly to Japan spur of the moment. Those chapters where he explores Tokyo were beautiful and made me want to go there even more.

In Tokyo, he meets the caretaker's daughter, Kana, a couple years older than he is (just graduated from high school). Kana is the best, so unapologetically herself. She dresses as crazy as our stereotypes of Japan, wearing boots a drag queen would envy and things like that. If anyone gives her a hard time, she gives it back, even to hissing at them on the streets. Immediately, she befriends Danny, determines to help him find happiness and to find more of it herself, since she no longer loves Tokyo and he does. Their friendship grows quickly and its strong and delightful. He needs her, and meeting her is like a gift his mom left for him. I also just love that this is one of the only examples of a strong male-female friendship in fiction. There's no sexual tension or chance that they'll date. They love each other as friends and nothing more, even though both are single.

What kept me from loving this book were the main characters, Danny and Holland. Not only did I not connect with them, but I feel an active dislike for them. Whitney does a good job of establishing their flaws, but I'm not nearly as forgiving as the average person. When the reader meets Danny, he's as angsty as Nastya and Josh from The Sea of Tranquility, which, in case you haven't read that, means angsty as fuck. Now, he does have good reason to feel this angst: father years dead, adopted sister estranged from the family, dumped by the girlfriend he loves, and mother recently dead, not having lasted to his graduation. I do feel bad for him, but the self-destructive way he reacts to it in no way endears me to him. The only times I like Danny are when he is with or thinking about his dog, Sandy Koufax. His love for her is what keeps me from hating him entirely, proving that he's a good person.

Holland, on the other hand, has a whole subplot going on about her, but I can't go into details because they would be spoilery. Suffice it to say that I think she treated Danny abominably and stupidly. Again, it makes sense why she did, but I still think it was messed up and I can't just forgive her for that. I found her hugely irritating besides. Except for that one plot point, she's a total manicpixiedreamgirl, made of perfection. Adding a sappy plot to make her not perfect didn't fix that for me. Also, that plot is something I intentionally avoid; had I known about it, I never would have read When You Were Here, so much do I not like that subject matter. That's totally a personal thing, however, and don't let my own distaste scare you off, since trusted friends have been loving this.

All in all, When You Were Here is a beautiful novel, but one that I am not the ideal reader for. Though I do love darker contemporaries, I was not ready for another incredibly angsty character and I also feel distaste some of the subject matter. As I said, trusted friends have loved this, so don't write it off based solely on my opinions and my own personal biases.

[Karla Mae (Reads and Thoughts) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"My mom dies two months ago, my dad was killed in an accident six years ago, and my sister, Laini is in China trying to rediscover her roots..."


Japan has been Danny and his family's home every summer since he's a little boy. Now, after his mother died of cancer he would spend another summer there but with a different agenda - instead of having fun and leisurely taking a walk through the busy streets of Tokyo, he would spend his time figuring out the answers to the questions that his mother left and also figuring out how would want to live his own life.

---
Japan – The Land of Cherry Blossoms! Though Japan is located at the same continent that I’m in I still haven’t had the opportunity to visit it but I hope someday. Anyhow, When You Were Here was set in Japan which really catches my attention. The thought of having a six foot tall white American in an Asian country excites me. Luckily, Danny’s journey on the busy streets of Tokyo has been the highlight of the whole story for me.

Danny is a character that started as a weakling for me. He let sorrow and aloneness eat him up. After his mom died, it seems like Danny also died. I couldn’t blame him, he's alone now. But as the story grows and as he learns more things through his journey I see his growth as a character. He learns more not only about his mother but also about his inner self.

I love Kana! I love her crazy outfits and crazy thoughts! I also love the fact that she did establish a great camaraderie with Danny. Though he's the six foot tall white American and she's the not so typical Asian girl they get along pretty well. Their friendship was very delightful to see. There are no sexual tension or whatsoever (though there is this little thought in me that them being together would not be that bad), the friendship that they have is just real. It’s all so very young-adult-ish!

As for Holland, I don't really know how to feel about her. She has a whole other story going on with her and Danny and I will definitely not spoil that for you. She has a reason for not saying things to Danny but whatever I just didn’t connect to her to great extent.

The author’s ability to concisely describe the setting and the things around the characters are great. The set of characters presented all seemed so real – flawed but very much real.

When You Were here is an excellent well-written and a very meaningful book. The story started with all the drama and heavy things that a young guy carries but as it ends it would make you feel very optimistic, real and hopeful about life.

*Advanced copy kindly provided for review*
*Blog Tour deets posted at Reads and Thoughts.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I look for contemporary fiction to read, I look for something that will actually tug at my heartstrings and make me feel something. There is something to be said for a book that can coax you to the brink of tears, and then ever-so-carefully walk you back off that ledge and help heal you through its pages. I've read some of Daisy Whitney's work before, and I have to say that When You Were Here is a standout among not only her titles, but many books on the shelves today. Intricately weaving the arduous process of grieving with an incredible journey of self-discovery, When You Were Here not only tugs at your heartstrings, but will help you heal and find a sense of peace.

View the full review here:

http://www.iswimforoceans.com/2013/05...

[Kate (The Bookaholic Blurbs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted over at The Bookaholic Blurbs! :)

When You Were Here touches the core of the soul. Sometimes we see and welcome happiness after being clouded by such horrible circumstances we don't think we could overcome. This novel might be too heavy for a drama but the things it would make you appreciate and realize are beyond amazing! It encapsulates freedom, love, healing and peaceful closure that definitely bring tears to the eyes. Heart warning novel that I listed as one of my top favorite contemporary novels ever.

[Areeba]

Lost in Translation meets Where She Went? Um, hell yes!

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When You Were Here" is the story of Danny, who loses his mother to cancer. All he has left is his mom's best friend (Kate), her daughter (Holland), and his dog. He is trying to deal with loss but it feels like the odds are stacked against him. When he inherits his mom's apartment in Tokyo, he flees to Japan, a place of happier memories in order to figure out his mother a little more. He will end up unraveling even more mysteries than he ever expected.

This was a strong story but there was so much going on with it. There is Danny trying to figure out what his mother was going through before her death. There is Danny's relationship with his adopted sister who originally came from China and in Danny's view all but abandons the family to find her roots rather than helping the family first mourn their father and then Danny to mourn their mother. There is Holland and Danny's relationship, which has a lot of twists and turns that I won't go too far into in order to save the surprise for you. All of these stories are great and could have made up a book themselves so the book sometimes felt rushed as all of the ends were tied together.

I loved the parts of the book that are set in Tokyo. Not only do you have an exotic setting with a lot of interesting characters, Tokyo also represents Danny coming to terms with being on his own but also that he has a lot of people in his corner if he will let them in. I really liked the growth that we see in Danny throughout the book. Overall, I enjoyed this story; I just wish that there would have been a little more room to stretch out some of the stories.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achingly, heartbreakingly, healingly incredible novel. It ripped me apart and stitched me back together one small piece/scene/conversation at a time.

*Full review to come in April closer to the June publication*

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a new favorite! I really loved this a lot. I thought that the Japan setting was perfect and made me enjoy it even more. The characters were awesome and had great backstories. I definitely recommend this book to you if you enjoy emotional, but happy contemporary stories!

[Soph - Lock&Key]

Hell, with the title and the blurb, I know I am gonna cry my eyes out while reading this!

I'm coming back to this soon. :)

[Kailia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on my blog Reading the Best of the Best.


3.5 stars

I wanted to love this book so much. I began this book almost three weeks ago and I just finished it yesterday. It took me forever to like the book enough to finish and even though the middle of the book got considerably better, I’m not the biggest fan of When You Were Here. I loved Daisy Whitney’s previous two books but I wasn’t able to care for the characters in this book as much as I had hoped to.

Danny is a very hard character to care for. In the beginning, he's angry and sad and confused and self centered. It's understandable of course. He lost his dad to a freak accident, his adopted sister left the family and now his mom is gone. Plus, he's only 18 and he's had to deal with a lot. I think for me, the thing was that I've never been in Danny's situation. People say that everyone grieves differently and while someone (like me) can accept that, connecting to the character can be hard. Surprisingly, it wasn't until Danny came to Tokyo that I began to truly care for him. He began to let go of his anger and resentment and opened up to new possibilities.

There were two other characters I cared about When You Were Here: Danny's mom and Kana, Danny's friend in Tokyo. Danny's mom is dead by the time this book begins but all of the times she's mentioned, I loved her. A big aspect of this book is when Danny learns that his mother lived as happy as she did before she died because she understood when it was her time to live and her time to die. it wasn't as dramatic as I thought it would be and I appreciated that. Kana's introduction was a breath of fresh air. Kana is talkative and outgoing, something Danny isn't at the moment. Their relationship was platonic and I LOVED that. Kana was someone Danny didn't know so it was much easier for him to open up to her.

Holland, the only girl Danny's ever loved and a rather large part of the plot, was a girl I didn't care for. 35% in and I was still not in love. The constant reminder of Holland made me realize that her story line isn't simply Danny's first love. I guessed that it was a surprise pregnancy and I was right. Turns out, Holland got pregnant with Danny's baby, had the baby early, and the baby died. Everyone, including Danny's mom and even Kana knew about the baby. It was so incredibly out of character for Holland in my opinion. If she truly knew Danny as well as she thought she did, why didn't she tell him about their baby? Honestly, I think this baby plot line didn't need to be included.

My only other aspect I didn't like was the fact that by the end of the book, every issue had been resolved. Danny seemed to be over his mom's death, he and Holland had figured things out, Kana and Holland got along, Sandy Koufax (his dog) was with him. The ending had a sense of hope but it wasn't the hope as in "things will get better." It was the kind of hope where everything ended perfectly and would hopefully continue to be so.

Overall, I enjoyed the middle aspect, majority of which is set in Tokyo, much more than everything else. I loved Kana and Danny's mom and while it took me a while, I warmed up to Danny. I appreciated the mature feel to this book and it's a testament to Daisy Whitney's growth as a writer! While I found a lot of the plot to be predictable and aspects I felt to be unnecessary, When You Were Here was one of the best books about grief I've read! I can't wait to read what else she haas to offer!

[Joy (joyous reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danny's father died of a horrific car accident.
Danny's sister left in search of her roots in China.
Danny's girlfriend unceremoniously dumped him when she left for college.
Danny's mother lost her battle with cancer.

Just when he thought there was nothing left of his shattered heart to break, he finds out that his broken heart can still be reduced to a million other pieces.

Echoing the angst-ridden perspective of Adam Wilder (Where She Went by Gayle Forman), Danny Kellerman let the readers decide for themselves whether or not to surrender to tears or detach themselves from his story altogether. I, for one, was on the verge of being completely destroyed on several occasions but didn't fully give in. There was something mechanical, manly, and utterly brave in the way Danny told his story. I wouldn't say that the author failed to incite emotions, rather, she perfectly captured how a boy such as Danny could handle each and every heartbreak life threw his way. Fair warning, if you were a ninny who cries at the drop of a hat, then you might just be a mess after reading this book.

Danny had the ideal life: supportive, ideal family, alluded to being a popular boy in school, intelligent and who had the perfect love story. He fell in love with the proverbial girl next door when he was a young boy and the girl fell in love back. So when life knocked him down with one blow harder than the next, it was easy to see and predict that he would be well on his way to self-destruction. There was an affair with an older woman (he's only 18) who was also his drug dealer and a valedictorian speech that he abruptly ended with, f*ck highschool, f*ck everyone. One would buckle under the pressure for sure. But Danny dealt with it the only way he knew how. Numbing the pain and grief with drugs while he finds a way to climb out of the impossibly dark oblivion he's in. There was a lot of questions swirling in his mind. Least of all is the puzzling way his girlfriend dumped him. He somehow found a temporary purpose, a trip to Japan to see if he can find answers.

This book would make you want to see Tokyo for yourself. The melding of the eccentric and traditional; the West mixing with the East. There's something about Whitney's view of the country that made it all the more beautiful.

When You Were Here did not make me bawl my eyes out. It did, however, make me grab my chest, massaged it until the choking feeling went away. I felt for Danny; he was so alone and so grief-stricken. He also made me angry for all the questions he refused to ask Holland. But even with all that, he made me wish I could somehow take some of his heartache, own a piece of it just for a little while. Because maybe then he could make sense of what was left of his life.

[Isamlq · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been on my ‘Currently Reading Shelf’ for the past four days now. Don’t let that fool you… it only took me half this night to get through it. Life just got in the way, you now? Anyway, this book's left me feeling satisfied… and happy with how refreshingly different it read.

Danny is not the complete asshole I though he was. It’s clear that one loss then another will have anyone acting like one. There’s this bitterness to him and a load on his shoulders from how somehow some when someone has wronged him either in a big way, small way, or even in some unknown way. But read on a bit more, it’s heart breaking… every single loss he’s experienced: first the dad, then the sister, then the mother, and then the girlfriend.

It’s the loss of his mother that breaks him, but that’s our starting point with him. He is the lost, angry boy, trying to figure out his what-next and not managing to do that at all. Except there’s also the loss of the girlfriend that surprised me a little, him droning on and on as he did over this girl next door and why-why-whying their situation made him less the tragic figure and more just the ordinary guy. It’s that he is so ordinary that’s refreshing. Neither jock nor the nerd, he’s simply a guy… a guy who’s unsure about what’s to be done next. And what’s next? Apparently, Japan.. where things have him piecing things together and seeing things for what they really are.

It takes this spur of the moment choice for things to sink in for him; that his mother had decisions, that his sister did as well, and so did Holland for that matter. All the things he discovers plus all the things revealed to him made it clear that things were always happening even with him outside the picture. Then eventual admissions of wrongs, recognition of limits and wanting things done a certain way by one’s choosing… all those had me picturing strong women. That while this guy’s many many heartbreaks… could be taken as something else by another. That the there were dark things for his sister, there were choices for his mother, and there were missed opportunities for his girl next door. My. Point? He was the only one getting his heart broken. And though he’s not the center of it all, he’s what’s there linking them all. It’s through him we see his heartbreak is not just his.

Also, who else besides me loves odd ball characters? Kama should read odd ball, trying too hard… but became more than that. Perhaps it’s her personal drama of not fitting in and not trying to that did it. Or perhaps it’s the two of them finding each other and connecting in a non romantic but still profound way that worked for me. Or perhaps it’s her odd-but-right-feeling mix of old soul-not quite that did it?

Excellent read, this one…

[Aylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can also read this review on my blog

In short: When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney was a wonderfully moving read with a fantastic cast of dynamic characters.


When You Were Here is a novel about death, but it's also about moving forward after dealing with so much grief and reconnecting with life. Danny is three weeks away from graduation when his mother dies after a long battle with cancer. As he has already lost his father years previously and has broken up with the love of his life, he is left alone, despondent in his grief. With nothing left, Danny decides to take a trip to Tokyo where his mother spent much of her last few months to try to come to terms with his grief and the secrets his mother was keeping from him. When You Were Here is a novel that will strip you down with grief and then rebuild your spirit whole again in a beautifully effective way.

When You Were Here gave me an urge to see Tokyo in a BIG, BAD way. I've always wanted to visit Japan, but never before with quite the same fervour as this book made me feel. Tokyo's mix of flashy sites and more traditional Japanese culture was described so well and presented so vividly by author Daisy Whitney. The setting was like a character unto itself, which is my favourite kind of setting.

The characters were great and dynamic, as well. I've never personally had to deal with the death of a parent - thankfully - but I still found it easy to relate with Danny. It was so inspiring to see Danny regain his spirit after so much grief. I also love how a few of the characters remained something of an enigma for much of the novel, only to have their stories finally come together in a moment of true enlightenment at the end. Standout characters include Danny's dog, Sandy Koufax, - because dogs are THE BEST - and Danny's new Japanese BFF, Kana, - who, okay, was a bit of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG), but I still liked her a lot and I think she had a lot more depth than your standard MPDG.

The only thing that stops When You Were Here from being a 5 Star read for me is that I don't believe I felt the full emotional impact that I could have felt from the story. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely a lovely read, definitely a poignant story. But I wanted MORE. I wanted to feel more emotional investment with the characters and storyline. I wanted to be hit hard by THE FEELS. But this is a relatively small complaint because When You Were Here was still definitely a wonderful and moving story. This was my first Daisy Whitney read, but it won't be my last.

[Farah Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

When You Were Here was definitely different than most contemporary novels out there, but it was a great different. From a boy's point of view, Danny has lost everything in his life. His father died six years ago. His mother has been fighting cancer for the last 5 years, and has dies just before his graduation. His adopted sister has lost most contact with him when she decided she wanted to learn more about her "roots" and live in China. Danny is all alone in a house in California. His mother's best friend, Kate, lives right next door and is always there to take care of him. Ofcourse, there has to be the girl next door, and that would be Kate's daughter! Holland and Danny were actually dating a while ago, but things just changed later on.

As simple as this story might be, it was definitely peaceful. Just reading about Danny's journey of unraveling secrets about his dead mother was just beautiful. This book was set in one of my favorite places in the world, and it's Japan. I was thrilled to know that there was a large portion of this book set in Japan. I've never been there, but I've watched and read too many things about it to not know how amazing of a place it is. It's my dream to travel there, and just reading about it was so much fun! Anyways, Danny decides to travel to Tokyo because he had an apartment there to take care of. Danny also decided to travel to figure out why his mother always felt happier there. The description of the tea houses and the harajuku girls and the busy nights was just amazing. I completely loved it. As the story went on, it was interesting to understand why his mother felt peaceful in Japan. Throughout the days, Danny was able to find out day by day more things about his mother's days in Tokyo.

I loved Danny's dog, Sandy Kaufman. She was always the one who lights up the mood of the book. I love animals so it was so much fun to get to know Sandy Kaufman as more than just a "dog". There's also Kana, the amazing Japanese girl who becomes a very close friend to Danny. Overall, this book was beautiful in many ways. It's more to the realistic fiction, as it more concentrates about one finding his inner peace. This was a great read, and I cannot wait to get my hands on future books by Daisy Whitney!

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those books that as I read it, the constant question that ran through my mind was "How much more bad stuff can this kid endure?"

Danny Kellerman is a few days from graduation and a summer that should be filled with fun, his dog Sandy Kolfax, and his girl. Instead Danny is left dealing with the aftermath of his mother's death and trying to figure out what he's supposed to do now. That question will take Danny on a journey from California to Japan as he tries to piece together the last months of his mother's life and make a decision about who he is and what he wants.

My heart broke for Danny. The last six years of his life were a lesson in how to deal with tragedy. Remarkably, he was able to excel at school, do what teenage boys do while still being there for his incredibly sick mother. But when she dies, he falls apart. He questions everything and figured the only way he could get away from all the sadness surrounding him was to go to Japan and figure out what to do with his mother's apartment there. For me, Japan was the key for allowing Danny to move forward. Not only did he get answers about what was happening with his mother, he found the key to what was happening with himself and his girlfriend, Holland.

There was one character who I absolutely loved. Kana is the daughter of the woman who takes care of Danny's mother's apartment in Japan. She's this mixture of old and new world Japanese culture and a breathe of fresh air in Danny's world. She becomes his best friend and the voice of reason he needs to get past every little detail he gets stuck on. She's able to share information about his mother (since she was her friend too) and give him insight that changes the way the sees his family. She's an absolute delight and a character I longed to read about in the story.

WHEN YOU WERE HERE is a heartbreaking story that transitions over to a coming of age one. While I my first thought is still the question I have above, the author was able to create a story that while depressing at times had me unwilling to put the book down until I knew Danny was going to be ok.

[Joana Gonzalez (Elphaba) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt...

Sou uma pessoa um pouco mais feliz quando leio livros como a obra de Daisy Whtiney, mais feliz por ela a ter criado e por esta ser capaz de chegar a todo o tipo de público, independentemente da sua idade. Anima-me, verdadeiramente, o seu tom simples para tocar algo profundo, para tocar tantas coisas importantes na vida de alguém, valorizando-as, através de pormenores que se aparentam irrelevantes.
Quando Aqui Estavas é bom e, dependendo de como seja olhado, pode tornar-se muito bom, como deve ser qualquer livro que fale de vida, de morte, de segundas oportunidades e que consiga, ainda, abrir os horizontes de quem lê.

No início da minha leitura estava com medo, pensei que ia chorar, mas, pelo contrário, quase me irritei, quase me aborreci com um rapaz igualmente irritado e de mal, de muito mal com a vida. Assim sendo, surpreendi-me e revi-me num momento da minha existência em que tive numa situação apenas próxima da sua, uma situação que depois das lágrimas de tristeza trouxe consigo as lágrimas de raiva e mágoa, e é com as segundas lágrimas, poucas semanas depois da morte da sua mãe, que conhecemos Danny, um rapaz disposto a testar os seus limites e os dos que lhe são próximos.

Confesso, não consigo sequer ousar-me imaginar passar por aquilo que Danny suporta no princípio desta história, acabado de terminar o secundário, sem família próxima e largado num universo de pontas soltas. Denny, tão necessitado de afecto, de respostas e perdido com um rumo absolutamente ausente, incapaz de se conformar, de aceitar e de evoluir naquela que é uma fase tão crucial na vida de todos nós. No entanto sou, definitivamente, capaz de olhar para as suas pegadas e ser uma sombra dos seus desejos, do seu primeiro passo na busca de um pouco mais daquela que mais amou, daquela que mesmo depois de partir saberá ensiná-lo e, mesmo ausente, irá fazê-lo voltar a ser feliz – acreditem, é algo quase mágico.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of When you Were Here by: Daisy Whitney and I was so happy to read something by her. I'm going to be honest and say that the whole way through the book I was thinking it was going to probably be a three star read, not because the story was bad at all by any means but because I was waiting for something to really hit home for me, and HOLY GOD the last 80 pages freaking broke my heart, that was exactly what I needed to bring it right up to a 5-star rating, and to become one of my favorite reads of the summer.

Losing a parent is always a sad and emotional subject esp. when the character losing the parent is a teenager, but I loved how real this book felt, and I loved the air of mystery it had with Danny trying to figure out his mom's other life she led in Tokoyo. I didn't know if I was going to love the setting of the story either, but I found that I loved Whitney's writing and the setting could have been anywhere and I think the story still would have packed the same punch.

I'm thankful that Daisy Whitney also sent me a signed copy of The Mockingbirds, which was just an extra gift from her (because she's awesome, not because I actually won it.) But I can't wait to read more from her!! I loved her writing, and loved how I felt one way through the whole book, and within the last 80 pages totally changed my perspective on the whole story, I don't know about ya'll, but that dosen't happen very often for me. If the Mockingbird is anything like book as far as writing style goes, i'm sure I will love it.

[Tara Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

So the book opens after Danny's graduation and his mom is already deceased and Danny's slightly self-destructive from his grieving process. He needs answers and takes off for Japan to learn about his mom's time there while she was seeking alternative treatments for her illness. While in Japan he uncovers the answers to more than one mystery involving his mom and the girl who broke his heart back in LA.

I wish my review could convey the beauty of this story. It's engaging, loving, and heartbreaking all at the same time. I loved Danny's journey in Japan, I really felt like this is what it must be like to be in Tokyo. The details were great.

This book is so different from Whitney's first two. First off, the narrator is male which I wasn't expecting and the subject matter is heavy - okay, not that The Mockingbirds wasn't heavy, cause it was heavy - but I guess in a different, more private way, quieter way than the Mockingbirds or The Rivals.

I may have cried during When You Were Here but I would never admit to it.

I'm an adult so I'm bad with recommending ages, but I would guess 15 and up maybe?

[Maria Carmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. The lightness with which its Author writes about death and loss, the wonderful depth dressed as familiarity, the search for meaning that the main character so well depicts, and the profound love most of the characters in the story share together. The drama unravels as the reader becomes more and more involved with the story. It is almost impossible to stop and reading it within 24 hours is almost mandatory.
Some may write about literature - discuss whether a book is (or not) literature. But I read this book with my heart and my heart loved it. I could not care less whether people consider it literature or not - there are SO MANY weird books that are considered "literary" and yet leave your soul tainted and your heart feeling senseless or despaired.
This is a book that gives you hope in life and humanity and I would not be surprised if its Author will become well known.

Maria Csrmo,

Lisbon, 29th. May 2014.

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books so far this year from Daisy Whitney - When You Were Here, a story about death and survival, about loss and finding oneself, about truth and love. A story that made my heart bled and hoped for one more chance. Such a beautiful novel that enlightened my mind and soul.

Danny Kellerman's loss had led him to a more meaningful journey that opened his eyes to the truth and acceptance. He surely had a rough time coping with his mother's death and his girlfriend's abandonment, but along the way, he became more sympathetic with his emotions and I was glad I was able to go along for the ride. Plus a dog named Sandy Koufax definitely made this voyage a more exciting one.

Daisy Whitney writes beautifully and passionately. I got lost into her world in seconds. I got tears in my eyes in minutes. I became a big supporter in an instant!