Four Days of You and Me

by Miranda Kenneally

Are they meant to be, or better apart?

Every May 7th, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu's relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It's been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since.

Through break-ups, make-ups, and dating other people, each year's trip class brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to Six Flags; New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Young Adult Romance, Fiction, Enemies To Lovers, Young Adult Contemporary

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2020

About the author

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.

Note: I don't answer direct messages, but do answer questions on Goodreads and Twitter. Please feel free to check in with me there!

Reviews

[sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

As soon as I read the summary for Four Days of You and Me I knew I would love it.

Turns out I shouldn't be so confident with my reading taste, because inevitably a book like this will throw me a curveball and make me question everything I think I know.

We follow Lulu and Alex's romance on four field trips across four years, seeing how their relationship progresses as they grow and mature. The concept sounded so cute! From escape rooms to NYC to London, we see Lulu and Alex breakup, makeup and follow their dreams.

Unfortunately, the concept that initially drew me in turned out to be the main downfall of the story. While abstractly the idea sounded fun, in actuality it wasn't executed well. As a result of the non-linear timeline, the pacing felt strange and it was difficult for me to keep all the flashbacks and timelines straight. It was so jumpy and fast paced that it didn't leave any time for development. As well as that, it gave the book a strange tone. It was simultaneously mature in terms of some slightly sexual themes, but dramatic and immature in the character's thoughts.

While this book had its occasional cute moments, I didn't feel the chemistry. The relationship between Lulu and Alex felt dysfunctional and almost toxic at times. They were deeply co-dependent, prone to miscommunication and dramatic. I was getting whiplash as I read the book due to the non-linear format. One chapter they were enemies, the next they were saying I love you and the next they were fighting.

Most of the characters were done well, at the very least likeable even if they weren't completely fleshed out. Except for the one character that we spend the most of the time with. Lulu. I'm not entirely sure what it was about her, but oh boy did she get on my nerves . She began alright, but the further I read the more I hated her.

When it came to writing Lulu it felt like the author was all tell and no show. We are constantly told that she is vegan and wants her school to have a veggie patch but apart from that her supposed love for the environment doesn't express itself. Additionally, things seemed to be thrown in about her almost as an afterthought to give her some sort of personality. Apparently she loves dancing? Apart from a couple of lines when convenient, I never would have known. This may sound nit-picky, but when you love something, say dancing, it plays into the way you perceive the world. You see things differently, move differently, think differently. A book that did this really well was Loveboat, Taipei. Overall, I just felt Lulu had the potential to be a well-rounded character but it missed the mark for me.

I've never read anything by Miranda Kenneally before, but I know she is really well loved in the YA contemporary romance world. So I'm not sure if it is just a me issue, a this book issue or a this author issue. I would occasionally get drawn into the story, but then a character would say something cringey and I would be pulled right back into reality. For some lines, it felt like a classic case of adults trying to write teenagers. It was so overly dramatic that I couldn't even be bothered to roll my eyes after a while.

All that said, I think some of my feelings are so strong due to the fact that I had really high expectations going in. I enjoyed the first few chapters, but for me it went really downhill from there. I couldn't turn off the critical part of brain while reading this, but if you think you can I would recommend this as a fast paced, easy to fly through and mindless read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC

Release Date: 5 May 2020

[Melanie (mells_view) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

Did Alex really touch my hand? What does it mean? I need to check my horoscope ASAP.

Four Days of You and Me was an enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a transformative YA novel where the characters are already established and have nothing to learn or grow from, (which sort of defeats the purpose of transformative, but whatever) then this one probably isn’t for you. Four Days of You and Me is a light-hearted YA romance read. The characters are flawed, they make mistakes, they make more mistakes, and when they learn from those mistakes, they still make a few more. Personally when I pick up a YA romance, I’m not looking for a personality guidebook. So Alex and Lulu’s on and off again dynamic works for me. Lulu is the schools “garden girl” aka hippie, and Alex is the popular baseball player who also works at his family’s restaurant all of the time. Lulu has dreams of writing/illustrating graphic novels, and Alex just wants more than the family business. They have cute tension from the start, and their story is told in LuLu’s POV over the course of their high school years. The story does time jump a bit, and it takes awhile for it to not feel so disjointed. But once I caught on to the yearly field trip, vs the months prior, it wasn’t so bad.

I loved Lulu and Alex’s sweet back and forth. I loved all of their friends. I loved that even though they had drama with other boyfriends/girlfriends along the way that they ended up eventually working those things out. I realize that many people don’t want to read the main characters with other people, but that aspect of this book made it feel relatable. The natural ebb and flow of love. Especially young love when you’re still figuring out you and not just you with someone else.

All in all this was a good read. It’s entertaining. It’s two young people growing into themselves and figuring it out how they can fit together better. If you’re looking for that, combined with a super cute rollercoaster of emotional teenage angst, then Four Days of You and Me is a winner.

AVAILABLE NOW!
*ARC

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review - thank you!

Generally, Miranda Kenneally writes cute YA contemporary sports romances, which I quite like. They're slightly angsty, well-written, and adorable.

This book was none of those things. It was stupid, unrealistic, and filled with unlikeable characters. 

The central couple consists of Louise Wells, perky blonde daughter of the town dentist, and Alexander Rouvelis, son of a Greek restaurant owner who's legendary at baseball. Or maybe it's basketball. I can't quite remember, it's one of those random ultra-American sports.

Anyway, the book traces the ups and downs of their relationship throughout all four years of high school. All the major milestones seem to happen on or around May 7th, the date of the Coffee County High School class trip. And you know what? They're bloody PAINFUL to read about.

Let's take it year by year.

➽ Freshman year: Lulu, a vaguely-committed vegan, tries to get a school garder approved. Alex, as class president, denies her. There's low-level enmity until they get stuck in an escape room together during their class trip. They date for the next ten months until misunderstandings and insecurities break them up.

➽ Sophomore year: the class trip is to a waterpark. Both flirt with other people. More drama and hurt feelings, largely because Lulu and Alex are both emotionally stunted morons.

➽ Junior year: they go to New York. Lulu's in a relationship with another boy, and emotionally cheats on him. Like, a lot. While also gaslighting him.

➽ Senior year: finally properly together, now they have to deal with university drama while on a trip to London.

All the Reasons I Think Alex and Lulu are Unhealthy as Hell

❌ They keep asking each other and pressuring each other to do things which the other person seriously doesn't want to. Like, Lulu is a vegan, but she thinks to herself that she'd give up her veganism for him - a seriously unhealthy thought.

❌ They DESTROY other people in their toxic, self-destructive spiral with each other. People like Lulu's boyfriend and Alex's girlfriend. There's so much emotional cheating and it's never even discussed - they just do not give a crap about anybody other than themselves.

❌ They're so co-dependent.

❌ As people, they are caricatures. Dislikeable, stupid caricatures. Lulu is the sort of repulsive teenage girl obsessed with getting away with wearing as little clothing as she can get away with - like, she wears a skimpy bikini as s sixteen-year-old on a school trip! Alex meanwhile is just a jock with no real external interests or hobbies. In that regard, I guess they're perfect for each other.

❌ This is more to do with the book than the characters, but... this story is MELODRAMATIC AS F*CK. Towards the end, it devolved into scenes from an actual soap opera. It doesn't help that the writing was surprisingly stilted.

Overall

A big disappointment from an established author.

[Blog] - [Bookstagram]

[Lacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars, maybe 2.5 stars if I'm being generous

I went into this book thinking it would be the YA version of One Day (a book I really loved, despite its tragic ending), except instead of spanning a course of 20 years, it would cover only the four years that Lulu and Alex (the MCs) are in high school. And it kind of was, to a certain degree—only without everything that made One Day so great. Contrary to what the synopsis would lead you to believe, the book follows the characters on multiple days throughout the school year, not just on the annual May 7th field trip, which kind of detracted from what lured me to the book in the first place.

Part of what made One Day so great was the constant will they, won't they tension that was always present and made Emma and Dexter so compelling and irresistible. You couldn't help but root for them, both as a couple and as individuals. This book didn't have that; in fact, I didn't like Lulu and Alex together at all, and I really didn't like them individually. Especially Lulu. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I actively despised her. And it wasn't just because her decisions/thoughts with regard to Alex were just plain illogical. It was her general self-righteousness and the holier-than-thou That Vegan™ thing she had going on. I say this as a former vegetarian myself: the only thing worse than an aggressive carnivore is a sanctimonious, proselytizing vegan—especially one who cheats on said vegan lifestyle, like Lulu.

Not to mention that Alex and Lulu simply had no chemistry together. Their dialogue was neither fun nor witty, but it did make me cringe! There was just no tension or heat. Some people might attribute this to the fact that the book is YA and teenagers are just awkward. But I've read enough YA fiction chock-full of tension and witty banter to know that the YA genre is capable of both, so I'm not really buying into that excuse.

Ultimately, this book isn't worth the time it takes to read it. If you're drawn to the whole seeing the characters one day each year concept, I recommend picking up One Day instead.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Days of You and Me is the perfect example of why timing is everything. Had I picked this up at any other time, I probably wouldn't have gotten very far before setting it aside, not because it's a bad book, but because I'm definitely not the target audience. Like a CW or Freeform teenage soap, this book was filled with drama, drama, drama. Omg, does my crush like me?...Sorry, I just really need to focus on getting a college scholarship right now instead of our relationship...I like him, but I'm not sure I'm ready to go all the way just yet. Catch my drift? But because this was exactly the type of mindless young adult romance I needed right now, I was totally immersed in this world and the lightness of it.

My favorite part of Four Days of You and Me is the way in which the story is told. No, it's not told on the same day every year like David Nicholl's One Day, so don't go into this expecting that like I did. Instead, Four Days of You and Me is told in four parts, each part starting in the present before the story flashes back and takes the reader on a journey to find out how the characters get to where they are. It was interesting to how the main couple's relationship changes throughout the course of high school. It made me feel so nostalgic because it reminded me a lot of my high school experience.

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars because while I loved the plot and some of the side characters, I had a difficult time connecting with the main character. She felt too immature at times---and not just because I'm no longer in high school. Even her friends had to call her out a few times, and each time I wanted to applaud them. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable Adorable Adorable

I had super high expectations for this and although it didn’t quite meet them, it was still a great read.

3.75⭐️

full review to come

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every spring the students of Coffee County High School get to take a class trip. The locations get better as they get older. And every year, Lulu's relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more convoluted and intense. As freshmen, they were enemies after an intense race over a student council position. But they couldn't deny their chemistry either. The two date, breakup, and much more across the span of four years, but each year, the class trip seems to bring them together again. And Lulu and Alex must decide if their love is worth fighting for.

"Our first kiss was exactly four years ago today, and since then, nothing--and everything--has changed."

I hate writing less-than-positive reviews, especially for authors I typically enjoy, but this book was not a favorite of mine. It's told across Lulu and Alex's four class trips (one per year) with flashbacks to other times. I simply could not warm up to Lulu or Alex. Honestly, of the two, I probably liked him better, but we don't hear his side. It took nearly half the book for the story to engage me even a little bit, and I thought about giving up, but for some reason, I have a tough time just stopping a book.

Now, I read YA a ton, so it's not that I don't enjoy YA novels. I read one right after this and *loved* it. But I found this story way too simplistic, and I feel like teens would too. There is so much better YA out there--for all of us. The book just felt simplistic in its writing and the "will they / won't they" storyline was boring. I did not care if they did or not. Honestly, there was a side plot about Lulu's gay best friend Max that was much more interesting--I would have rather read about him!

Supposedly Lulu is an artist/writer and that's her thing, but that felt forced. Mostly, the book felt about a girl (and her friends) all trying to find boys to like (and like them back). That's what they cared about and talked about. I felt no huge connection between Alex and Lulu and hence no reason to root for them to choose each other. They didn't feel destined for one other, as most couples do in a good romance. The story does pick up a bit near the end, but by then, I just felt burned out.

So maybe this story would resonate a bit more with a teen set (and it should be an older teen set, due to language and themes), but there are a lot of other better books out there. Now, others seem to enjoy this more than me, so maybe I just got caught in a bad mood. 2.5 stars for me, though.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire in return for an unbiased review.

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[Stacee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read and enjoyed several of Miranda’s other books and was basically beside myself when I got my greedy hands on this one. The cover is cute and the synopsis sounded like everything I could have wanted. Sadly, I’m wondering if 2 stars is too high of a rating.

I liked Lulu? Yes, that’s a question. She’s talented and driven and I’m not sure what else I can say. She does come across as sheltered and whiny. Alex is charming when he wants to be, but also a jerk. Together there’s no chemistry or honest communication between them and the push and pull didn’t create the banter I was hoping for.

Plot wise, it didn’t work at all. I expected massive detail on four specific days over four years. Instead, it’s a disjointed timeline that sort of revolves around a date on a class trip. Each chapter is a flip flop of then and now, but not now now, whatever year it was now. Make sense? There’s a lot of drama, a lot of dating other people while still being emotionally invested in each other, and then each saying they’re willing to give up their dream colleges for the other.

Overall, this just wasn’t for me. There were some cute moments sprinkled throughout, but they were few and far between. I spent a good portion of the book reminding myself that I wasn’t the target demographic, but there’s a lot of co-dependency and aspects of a toxic relationship that makes me wonder if it’s the right thing for teens.

**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the arc free of charge**

[audrey ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ I really enjoyed this book, the back and forth between timelines was totally fine with me. I absolutely hate miscommunication tropes, but the miscommunication in this story felt really authentic to teenagers in a high school relationship. They’re not adults and won’t treat relationships with the same thought as adults would. Alex and Lulu’s relationship over the course of four years made a lot of sense, and I loved the spark that always drew them back to each other.

Overall a quick and cute YA rom com read!

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet story! It’s been a while since I’ve read any YA, but I’ve always enjoyed Miranda Kenneally’s books, so I knew I had to read her newest.

Lulu and Alex start as rivals freshman year, both running for class president — Lulu on a green platform, and Alex capitalizing on his popularity as a baseball star. When Alex wins, they exist as frenemies for the rest of the school year, until accidentally getting locked into an escape room together on their class trip. As they finally acknowledge their mutual sparks, Lulu and Alex start a relationship that will last throughout their high school years, despite ups and downs and time apart.

As each section of the book focuses on the class trip for that year, we get to see how Alex and Lulu have matured, and how their relationship has matured with them. There are problems along the way, of course. Alex’s devotion to baseball and his commitment to working in his family’s restaurant leaves him unavailable except for late at night, past Lulu’s curfew. They both end up frustrated and unable to see past their own hurt, so a break-up is inevitable.

Still, every year on May 7th, as they set out on another class trip, Alex and Lulu seem to be thrust back into each other’s orbit. They really are great together, and even when trying to make something work with other people, they both realize that what they have is special.

I love how matter-of-fact the author is when it comes to teen relationships. There’s no judgment here, and the characters all enjoy varying degrees of healthy sex lives. Alex and Lulu take their time getting there, but they do enjoy gradually deepening levels of intimacy, and when they finally decide to have sex, it’s with lots of discussion, explicit consent, and pre-purchased condoms.

The supporting cast is quite good too — best friends and cousins and teammates, each with their own lives and quirks. They form a loyal and strong core, and I liked that we get to see Alex and Lulu not just 100% about their relationship, but really engaged with true friendships.

I also appreciated that Lulu and Alex each have their own passions — Lulu as an author/illustrator of graphic novels, Alex with baseball — and that they support each other’s dreams and goals. Neither one would ever suggest that their plans outweigh the other’s. It’s refreshing to see two characters work through their differences without losing sight of how much they care about each other.

Miranda Kenneally writes terrific, strong female characters, and Lulu is no exception. She’s talented and smart, and someone who’d be easy to like in real life. Four Days of You and Me is a quick read, and I really enjoyed this glimpse of high school life and all its drama, humor, and adventure.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.

[Jasprit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miranda Kenneally has been an auto-buy author of mine for a long time now, her books are always my go to when I need a pick me up. And it’d been a while since I’d read any of her books, so you could say that my eager anticipation of Four Days of You and Me was an understatement. Once again Kenneally did not disappoint when it came to this book, I enjoyed the twists and turns we were given with Alex and Lulu and how the chapters panned across the past and present of their lives during their time at high school. There were seriously so many ups and downs, that I was at times dead set that Alex and Lulu weren’t meant to be. But I liked how Kenneally kept us guessing at how things would end up between them. The friendship groups in the story were a delight too, seeing them change up, pan out, but still remain strong over the years. I thoroughly enjoyed Four Days of You and Me, this book made me super nostalgic of the trips I made back in my high school years and the meaningful and long-lasting friendships I made during that time. If you haven’t already picked up this lovely book, what are you waiting for?

[Amanda Belcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stopped reading this book at about 15%. It was poorly written and the characters felt like stereotyped caricatures rather than real people. The narrative also jumps around in a way that felt jarring, unnecessary, and confusing to the storyline at hand, particularly when it came to how the main character felt about Jonah and Alex. The writing--specifically the dialogue--was overly dramatic and felt as though the author was out of touch with how real teenagers would talk, think, and act. Perhaps this book will be enjoyable for some readers but it was not one I could get behind or justify finishing.



*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

* I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
This book was absolutely addictive from the very beginning! I fell in love with each of the characters from the first page and I couldn’t quit reading to see what would happen to each of them on each field trip that they took! The love story in this book had my heart strings tugging at every turn of the page and I felt every heartbreak that our main character did! This is my first book read by this author and I will read more of her work now that I read this one. I was scared to read her other works because everyone loved them so much but, holy crap this book has blown me away! This book comes out on May 5th and I highly recommend this book to absolutely anybody. It even inspired me to pick my work in progress back up and to get it published once it’s long enough to be published! This is definitely one of my top favorites of the year.

[modezireads · Rating 1 out of 5]

ALSO I DIDNT MARK SPOILERS IN MY NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS

Minor/Major Spoilers but you should read my review anyways bc you shouldn't read the book.



Pre-Read
Stop I'm so excited for this book bc I've seen it a lot it was literally following me everytime i went on the kindle store and i hope its good!! It has much potential to flop tho😭😭

Intitial Thoughts
no.
nonononononoo.
i actually started crying when i finished this. tears of happiness & sadness. you probably want to know why. but its not for the reason you think. the happiness was because it was finally over and i was put out of my misery! the sadness bc why did i waste my time and beauty sleep to read that HOT MESS

Summary
go look at the real one bc im actually so done right now. i physically cannot.

Characters
(im actually really excited for this!)
Lulu Lulu... Lu, GO ROT ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY I HATE YOU SO MUCH YOU'RE SO HORRIBLE AND SELFISH JUST DISAPPEAR YOU'RE SO HORRIBLE AND TRASHY AND AAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I HATE YOU
Alex HE WAS BETTER WITHOUT LULU
Everyone Else they would've been better if they werent delusional enough to like lulu
Back to Lulu she sucks. shes a vegan, but she breaks like all the vegan rules (i get that she might want to cheat from the vegan diet or whatever its called but she did it so many timesssss!!!) it was so annoying ESPECIALLY because she would get mad or wince when someone said they would eat meat. like, you're a vegan who will eat funnel cakes but you act like that if someone who ISNT EVEN VEGAN eats a hot dog (cough, cough, NICK) #nickdeservedbetter and she was just so annoyinggg bc the book was like,







lulu decides she likes alex and kisses him, she decides that his life should revolve around her, (fast forward a year) and then she gets mad bc he goes on a ride at the amusement park w someone else EVEN THOUGH SHE BROKE UP W HIM and decides to go on a ride w the bc shes "jealous" even though SHE HAS NO RIGHT TO BE JEALOUS and then she gets sick and makes it so he has to take her to the nurse and then he cant play at the game w the SCOUT FROM THE COLLEGE HE WANTS TO GO TO and then, miss girl has the sheer AUDACITY to say "iTs nOt tHat BIg oF a dEAl" and shes mad bc she has detention when its LITERALLY HER FAULT and then the next year, AUGHHHHHHHHH THE NEXT YEAR. SO THEY GO TO NEW YORK AND THEN THEY DECIDE TO RISK GOING TO LONDON THE NEXT YEAR FOR HER TO SEE HER "fAvOrItE aUthOr" LIKE- IVE BEEN TO LONDON BEFORE AND WOULDNT RISK THAT TO GO SEE EMILY HENRY!?!?!??!!!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!??!? HER PRIORITES..? NONEXISTENT AND THEY SOMEHOW DONT GET CAUGHT?!!?!?!??!? AND THEN SHE BREAKS UP W HER BOYFRIEND (nick) AND GETS BACK W ALEX??!??!?!?!?!?but the LAST year (the last year realllllllllly pissed me off) they go to london and TURNS OUT SHE GOT ACCEPTED INTO A SCHOOL ACROSS THE COUNTRY BUT DIDNT TELL ANYONE BUT THEN THEY FIND OUT AND THEY'RE MAD AT HER FOR FIVE MINUTES?!?!!?!??!?!???!!!?/!?!? I DONT THINK SO.

Max the only reason hes in this one is bc he gives nick sturniolo energy and i wanted to add that.


Final Thoughts
save yourself while you still can.

and the saddest thing.
the SADDEST THING,
the first 20%.
if it stayed that way it wouldve been on my "i like you, have a cupcake" shelf😔

anyways this was trash and i would burn it but it was kindle unlimited! (you bet this book got returned the second i was done)

amd the one star is for alex/the beginning

[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
I loved the drama in this one, it reads just like a high school ABC family show from when I was a teenager (I just made myself sound so old but that was only like 4 years ago lol).
I enjoyed the multiple timelines and seeing the romance and storylines unfold as the narrative bounces back and forth between months and years. At the beginning, I was worried about getting lost in the frequent back and forth but this ended up not being case. It was pretty easy to keep things clear as far as what events happened when.
This book didn’t really do anything to blow me away but if you go into this just expecting a fun and entertaining read, that’s exactly what you’ll

[aly ☆彡 (on vacation) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's just start on what I like about this book first.

As we read, we get to know that the two characters already had their relationships pretty well established from four years ago with a little gist how they started to date. I like an established relationship in a book because there will likely be less chance of a romantic subplot involving them (but ha! jokes on me because they are in an on and off relationship). But what can be gathered from this book is that all these characters are just flawed. Still, I love to see as they learned to sort things out between them. This book tells in four different years of the time they know each other. Through there, you'll get to see how the character develops especially when these people are still young, so it's only relatable to see them working on their past mistakes and shortcomings.

It's just that the storyline was indeterminate and may come up as confusing if you didn't keep track of the chronology since there's a lot of flashbacks and unkempt timeline. Then, the couple themselves may appear problematic seeing how co-dependent and dysfunctional they are. But to be fair, these people were very young when they started their relationship so I understand if that happens and you can see they're maturing as the age goes. They learned from their past and grow into someone better.

Sadly, the chemistry between Lulu and Alex seems to not well elucidated considering the story was told from the four different years. Therefore, you can only imagine how brief it was told although it was not entirely bad. It just feels like something is missing because you didn't get to see the relationship grow from all the little stories you got each year. Yes, you get to see the characters' develop but not the couple's momentum and that's a bit discontented. To boot, I think some of the traits are also not well polished, such as Lulu's dancing skill which was rarely mentioned or displayed and suddenly, she was shown to have been an impressive dancer, like uh... what? That's so abrupt.

Overall, an okay read. I still enjoy reading them.

[Büşra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5

Her sene lisede düzenlenen gelenekselleşmiş geziler sırasında kahramanlarımızın ilişkilerini, hayatlarını ve kariyer hedeflerine yavaş yavaş ulaşmalarını okuyoruz Four Days Of You And Me'de.

Üzerine düşünüldüğünde gerçekten her sene aynı dönem içerisinde bir ilişki yerleştirme fikri çok iyi ama iş karakterlere gelince kitapta Genç Kurgu olduğundan patladı güzelim kurgu elimde.

4 sene boyunca bir ilişki başlangıcı, bu ilişkinin bazı zorlu süreçlerden geçmesi ve karakterlerin evrimine bayıldım ben. Zaten kitaba verdiğim puanlar da yazarın karakter gelişimini çok iyi hissettirmesi.

Ancak konu çok klişe. Birbirlerinden nefret ettiklerini söyleyen ama içten içe hoşlanan iki karakter. Korkaklık eden bir erkek karakter, her şeyi abartan ergen bir kadın karakter. 16 yaşından 18 yaşına kadar bir o yana bir bu yana savrulan ilişkileri. Ben yazarın Catching Jordan'ınını da okuduğumda aynı hisler ile dolmuştum. Konu güzel olsa bile ergenlik çağındaki karakterler maalesef yanlış kararları ile kitabı bir şekilde okuyucu için zor hale getiriyor.

Bu tek tük sorunlar dışında okuması keyifliydi. Şu 4 sene 4 gezi olayı olmasa ben bu kitabı çok okudum be diyebileceğiniz genç kurgulardan.

[avery · Rating 2 out of 5]

severely disappointed😔 rtc

Came here for a good school rivals to lovers and ended up loosing a piece of my sanity that ill never earn back.

For some quick pros: it was fun? It was definitely easy to read, some of the banter was cool.

Now my list of cons:

1. Pacing:
Since the plot follows 4 school trip days of 4 different years, freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior.
But the thing is there’s no consistent plot. At all.
Every year goes like this:
I hate him, he’s annoying, oh wait we made out again, are we dating? miscommunication, i hate him

The pacing gives us virtually no time for context or to see the plot in action. In addition to never seeing the real plot point, the only thing were going off of is Lulu’s perspective of what happened. Which led to lots of annoying miscommunication.

2. Characters in their entirety:
They’re all unmemorable, especially Lulu. I had to look up her name because i forgot it in a week.
See, Lulu loves miscommunication, everything she does ends up with her or the others exiting the conversation with the wrong idea.
She can’t ever decide what she wants, and ends up hurting people in the crossfire. She breaks up with Alex, and then decides she loves him again; putting Alex through emotional suffering. She then decides she doesn’t love him and dates another guy. A nice guy, a great boyfriend and person in general. She then decides that she actually does love Alex and breaks up with her former nice boyfriend, hurting him. She lies about being accepted to a college in Rhodesia Island, hurting Alex and everyone in her life. It’s all mess, and not an ”omg this is interesting drama” way, just. No this is so annoying stop it kind of way.

Alex is the same, unmemorable. Alex makes some questionable moves, whether its continuously asking when they’ll have sex or going on trips with other girls without telling his girlfriend. He is in no way an awe inspiring YA love interest. He also hurts some girls that he was talking to, but then suddenly drops them for Lulu. Yeah, he’s not the best guy.
Also his outfit descriptions are really lame. He wears backwards hats a lot, yknow that aesthetic. Not a major fan, if you’re going to put all this effort in describing all their fits maybe make them cool.

3. Insensitive approach to veganism:
Lulu is vegan, and that’s thoughtfully shoved down my esophagus every 10 pages so i don’t forget. Don’t get me wrong! Vegans are great, if that’s what you want or like the sure! But when it comes to Lulu, she reprimands every single person who isn’t vegan. nothing wrong with standing up for the environment, but to an extend, animals were made for humans to eat. And being vegan or vegetarian is a personal choice for your own benefit. Lulu scoffs and snaps at anyone eating a hotdog on field trips, either in her head or to their face. It’s severely annoying and honestly blind. besides the fact that these are Highschool boys at amusement parks, not everyone can be vegan! Existing or pre-existing EDs, allergies, or mental/physical needs can make it very very hard to be vegan/vegetarian. So the fact that Lulu hates on strangers/friends for eating meat or dairy is super lame.

4. It reads like a fanfic:
And not like a novella, just. Like a fanfic. Besides the commonly used miscommunication trope, it reads like it came straight from wattpad. There’s unlikely, weird mishaps like her bikini top flying off that doesn’t happen very often in the real world, Alex is hit by a bus, the whole ”how will i get into my dream college if i can’t get that sports scholarship anymore!” trope, everyone conveniently ends up with a partner, and the writing is by no means eloquent.

For their senior trip they go to London, and meet up with another group from and Italian Academy. During their entire time together they are only referred to as ”The Italians” not _____ Academy or even by their names. Just ”The Italians are following behind us, the Italians nod in approval, the Italians laugh at our joke,” etc. it just left a very icky feeling in my stomach. If you’re Italian and don’t find it weird or aren’t offended, then it’s nothing, but i personality thought it was disrespectful.

All of the side characters are randomly coupled up. Even if they barely met or don’t even seem like each other’s type, it was just for the sake of it. There’s nothing wrong with being single? One side character was immediately coupled with the “head Italian” and they met a maximum of 4 days ago. Apparently no one is allowed to be single and free in this universe.

it’s basically a shrine for JK Rowling. its like the author wants to be paid for this free advertising! She sure loves to hype up a unapologetic racist:)

”She’s wearing a T-shirt that says Muggle.”

“‘This is absurd, no one’s even asked her what her Hogwarts house is.’
‘It’s obvious she’s a Gryffindoor, like you.’”

Just two examples of the MANY. Some of them blatantly praise her.

Overall, it was just sad. And not even in a heartbreaking omg this is so sad but good way, no just this is hurting my soul its so cringey. A very unpleasant read. If this is the YA standard maybe by short story from 8th grade isnt that bad

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

So cute! RTC

Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Let's be friends on Bookstagram!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

[Ruby Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I switched from giving out whole 5 star reviews, to only giving 3,2, and 1 star reviews. But the point is, when someone tells you that you are going to be reading a clean read, you kind of just expect that it is going to be clean and not going to throw any surprises at you. I have been wanting to read this one since it came out to the public this year.

This one said it was clean in many other reviews as well as I was reading through some made it sound very clean, EVEN THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND PART THE END WERE CLEAN!!!

BEWARE this book is not clean. The only reason I finished it is because I only had 30 pages left by the time it became unclean. But also, the book could have ended in her junior year, and yet the author continues the story (which is not bad) but then makes a clean book unclean.

TO ANYONE WHO SAID OR MADE IT SOUND AS IF THIS BOOK IS CLEAN, here is the definition of clean that comes up on google. Here you go:

"Great romance without sex scenes or explicit language. PG rated. Books may range from squeaky clean to steamy clean but you will find only occasional mild language, mild innuendo, no sex scenes, nothing crude or crass." From here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... if you don't belive me.

Thank you for reading my crazy rage about this book... now it is time for the massive wording I have to put down in the categories.

PARENT NOTE: If you read any of my review above you should know that this book is not clean. If you tell someone to stop at the end of junior year then it is, but senior year is not clean. Also, if you are worried about them talking about it the whole time this book is not for you as well. Like most books this book tells you that friends and other people do it throughout the book and before. This book also has some inappropriate touching, right in the middle of the beginning.

AGE RECOMMENDATION: 8-10/10 Check my profile for how I rate

ROMANCE: If you read up to junior year you will be fine and the book is considered clean. Other than that the rest of the book is unclean.

VIOLENCE/BLOOD: None.

SWEARING: A lot. The F bomb dropped more than twice.

I think that this is the largest review I have written, and surprisingly, it felt very good to get those feelings out. Feel free to follow/friend me for more reviews like this one! Happy Reading! -Ruby Rose

[Chloe Zuch · Rating 5 out of 5]

My feelings were felt like they were on a rollercoaster the entire time I read this book!

[Andi (Andi's ABCs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Andi's ABCs


I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. It’s hard to hid the fact that I’m a huge fan of Miranda Kenneally. Since reading Catching Jordan in 2012 I have been hooked on her books. There is something so refreshing and fun about her stories. So when Four Days of You and Me was announced I was beyond excited. I loved the idea of two teens going through 4 years of high school and having something happen roughly the same time every May. It seems liked a fun idea and Miranda nailed it. Four Days of You and Me was exactly what I needed and when I needed it.

Four Days of You and Me is the story of Lulu and Alex. These two high school students start as rivals in their freshman year of high school. When they go on the school field trip they find themselves stuck together completely changing the course of their relationship. Over the next 4 years Lulu and Alex (and a handful of friends) navigate what it means to be a teen in a relationship and all the feelings and heartbreak that come with it. With every year and every May field trip Alex and Lulu deal with being together and being broken up and what comes with the in-between. In the end they have to figure out what is worth it and what isn’t.

I loved Lulu and Alex so much. Even in their terrible teenage angst there was something special about them. They had a natural chemistry and genuinely had feelings for one another even if they didn't know how to deal with them. At times they were both immature and completely overwhelmed by teenage tendencies, but I loved them even with their imperfections. Even when they weren’t together they were their for each other and that was what I really loved about them. In the end they were just perfect together.

In the end, Four Days of You and Me was exactly what I expected to come from the mind of Kenneally. It was funny and charming and a fantastic story about teenage love and heartbreak. And it was completely worth the wait. Definitely pick this one up. Can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full Review on The Candid Cover

Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally was a book I was excited to read since I have always enjoyed her work. Her latest novel takes place on class trips over the course of four years, but this element was one of the only aspects I enjoyed about the book. Much of the story is melodramatic, and the use of flashbacks becomes confusing since the state of the characters’ relationship is constantly changing from chapter to chapter. Furthermore, their relationship is toxic, and because of this, I had trouble rooting for them.

This book is set over the course of four years and follows Lulu and Alex’s complicated relationship. Every year, they go on a class trip with their school, and their relationship changes during each outing. These trips evoke a sense of nostalgia, and I loved going along with the characters to the amusement park and other destinations. That being said, there is a lot of unnecessary drama, and the book is more graphic than I was expecting. It is especially jarring during the earlier stages of Lulu and Alex’s romance when they are in grade nine. I love reading about school trips and travel, but I was just not invested in the story.

❀ NON-LINEAR PLOT

Another element that prevented me from getting into this book is the non-linear plot. Flashbacks can be excellent if they are well-executed, but in this case, the story becomes confusing. The characters go from enemies to lovers and back to enemies, and the flashbacks come across as a lazy way to show how their relationship develops. I believe there are so many better ways this could have been done, and without the confusion.

❀ SELFISH MAIN CHARACTERS

I also did not really enjoy either of the main characters. Lulu is working on a graphic novel, and I enjoyed reading about her passion, but she, along with Alex, is selfish. Alex tells Lulu that he is only able to go to college if he gets a scholarship through baseball, and she feels hurt and tells him that he cares too much and is not spending enough time with her. There are many other similar instances of this in the book, and I did not enjoy the messages this sends. Neither of the characters communicates or really supports the other, and their relationship is unhealthy.

❀ COULD HAVE BEEN AN ADORABLE ROMANCE

Four Days of You and Me had the potential to be an adorable romance as it takes place almost entirely on school trips. I enjoyed the nostalgia of being taken back to the museum and the amusement park, but this was really all I enjoyed about the book. The non-linear writing style is confusing, and both the main characters are selfish. Ultimately, this one was a disappointment.

[Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This was an adorable and cozy book that was just so much fun to read. I loved seeing Lulu and Alex's relationship develop on their class trips all throughout high school. It was cool seeing so many familiar sites in the earlier trips, and so many wishlist bucketlist places in the later ones. Lulu and Alex have their ups and downs, but I liked seeing how their relationship changed through the years. And Lulu's friendships with her Grace and Max were wonderful. I feel like we got more development in the beginning and the last third or so was more rushed and simple - but still enjoyable. Another great Miranda Kenneally book!

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Arielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4???

Alright, people *rubs hands together* I'm once and for all mini-reviewing all of these damn books that have been sitting, finished, on my "currently reading" shelf for MONTHS now. First of all, I SWEAR I wrote a good long review on this book. I don't know if that was some kind of weird ass dream I had (like why would I dream about writing a review??? lol who knows) but I can't find where I possibly could have done that so HERE WE ARE.

I have read almost all of Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series and have greatly enjoyed most of them. Since I rarely read YA contemporaries anymore, figured since this one was by an author I have good experience with that I would give it a try.

Even though the time jumps in this book sometimes kind of confused me, I think I like how she did it. The concept of her revisiting the same periods of time through the course of four years showed a lot of Lulu and Alex's growth over the course of high school which we really don't get to see much of in other YA books. I thought their on-and-off again relationship was really realistic which always gets big bonus points from me and I liked how the book ended. Overall I really enjoyed this quick read and I will probably continue to read anything she puts out!

Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Days of You & Me details the high school years of Alex and Lulu, high school enemies turned sweethearts.

This was a cute, fast-paced read. Each section details a year of Alex and Lulu’s high school career, starting with the class field trip that happens each year.

You have your typical high school drama throughout the book, but it makes it realistic, because what high school crowd doesn’t have drama? You also get to witness both characters mature over the years and I enjoyed getting to see them “grow up” in a sense.

I really liked Lulu’s character and her love for writing and drawing. She never wavered from her true passions in life, even with Alex popping in and out of focus. I also loved her gay best friend, Max, and loved his representation in the story, even as a secondary character. Alex was a hit and miss character for me. At times I loved him and at times I wanted to slug him, but I think that was the point of his character.

I recommend this one if you’re looking for a cute YA Romance and a lighter read.

TW: Typical high school drama/heartache, Peer Pressure.

*I received a gifted copy of this book from the publisher for me honest review.

[Aparna · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I read this because it magically downloaded on my iPad and I was running out of books to read while camping. I was familiar with the author bc I read her books in middle school. Super cute coming of age (lowk introduction to smut). I knew it was gonna be cringe but like DAMN. This is easily one of the worst books I’ve read recently. I know I am not in the age gap but like objectively why???????
- The timeline was SOOO confusing.
- the main girl has the biggest victim complex ever. Like the shit she complains about it CRIMINAL
- she rights graphic novels which is cool but she has not science to back it up, but her bf helps her w the science part yet even after she gets an offer from a publishing house she NEVER gives him an ounce of credit
- on that note. One of the agent to rejects her tells her that her book is paced too fast. I wish this author took that advice. LIKE SLOW TF DOWN BABE.
- last thing for now. From freshman to junior yr she gets bullied by these girls on the dance team. Out of NO WHERE they are basically her best friends her senior year w barely any explanation. Like come on.

[Marieke | Marieke's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a e-arc. This didn't influence my review.

In Four Days of You and Me volgen we Lulu en Alex gedurende 4 jaar op 7 mei. Hoe ziet hun relatie er uit en hoe gaat het nu met ze? Dit wordt gedaan met behulp van veel, maar dan ook heeeeeeel veel tijdssprongen. Dit maakte het verhaal niet makkelijker, maar gaf het wel meer diepgang. Het zorgde ook voor verwarring. Want gaan we nu voor- of achteruit in de tijd?

Ik vond het leuk om de personages voor een langere tijd te volgen. Hierdoor zie je ze echt groeien. Ze worden groter en nemen andere beslissingen dan eerst. Ook kijken ze anders tegen elkaar aan.

Een van de grote pluspunten aan dit boek zijn de vele bijpersonages. Ze zijn zo leuk! Grace, Max, Ryan. Wat een heerlijke vriendgroep krijgen Alex en Lulu om zich heen.

[Krysti · Rating 5 out of 5]

FOUR DAYS OF YOU AND ME by Miranda Kennealy was a swoon-worthy delight! I loved every second of reading it. It was so much fun. I fell head-over-heels for the characters, and the story itself had so much emotional depth. I was absolutely glued to it. The timeline was unique and well done. It was just everything I love in a YA contemporary romance. A glowing five stars!

[kenners?! · Rating 4 out of 5]

they fall in love every may 7th, um... yes please. i loved the banter, the tension, and the setting of this book. it's all so perfectly timed and well written, such a good swoon worthy your adult romance book.

4 stars