Book Review: My Thoughts while Reading... 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

I love this book so much! It gave me all the feels and so much swooning! This post honestly is more of me just fangirling than an actual book review but here it goes.

Summary and Book Cover…

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When teenage Tessa Dickinson goes through a traumatic car accident causing her to loose her eyesight, she feels terrified that her sight might never return. Being a poetry blogger focused heavily on visual beauty, losing her eyesight feels like her whole world has been turned upside down. But things change when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for someone to help Tessa continue writing and blogging like she used to before the accident.

Cue Weston Ludovico, a fellow teenager like Tessa, thinks he can help her yet Tessa doesn’t know why. He knows what it’s like to feel angry and afraid because he has a disability as well. He is willing to help Tessa but with one condition: her grandparents don’t tell her about his disability. He wants to be treated like a normal person again, not just a sob story so he continued visiting her even though she dislikes him.

Tessa hates how he’s always ‘obnoxiously optimistic” and is stubbornly convinced he doesn’t understand what she is going through. But Weston has a plan, He’s gonna help her realize there is more to the world than just what can be seen.

As they grow closer, they both find it harder and harder to imagine life without each other. But Weston still hasn’t told Tessa the truth. What will happen if her sight returns like her doctors say? Weston will have to make a tough decision: whether to leave her before he can be seen or not.

Characters…

Weston Ludovico-

Everyone deserves to have a Weston in their life!

Within the first few chapters in Weston’s POV, I instantly liked Weston. He is a literal beam of light! He’s so optimistic, sweet, and empathetic but at the same time stubborn to not give up when he puts his mind to something. Every scene with him in it brought a smile to my face at some point whether it was him being super sweet or him saying/thinking something funny.

In my notes I took as I read, I said that I wish Weston was real cause I need a person like him in my life. (If you want to see my notes on 100 Days of Sunlight, let me know in the comments below.)

If you’re having a bad day, He’s the person who will not just text you to make sure you’re okay but will come to your house and knock on your door. If you’re depressed, He will push you to get out of bed but won’t push you too hard to go to that party. But instead be respectful and just encourage you to go to the living room and watch a movie.

What I loved most about him was when learning of his backstory and seeing what he went through. He tried his best to not let those things define him but instead focused on the positive.

Weston’s character is written so beautifully and it’s clear the the writer really knows her characters which I love.

Tessa Dickinson-

From the beginning, it was easy to be sympathetic to Tessa’s character.

She had recently went through a very traumatic car accident that caused her to loose her sight. Going through that would be hard for anyone but it was even a bigger deal for her because sight was her entire world.

She’s a poetry blogger who is very independent and her poems are very focused on the physical beauty of the world. So for her, loosing her sight is almost like taking away a musician’s hearing.

She is very independent, introverted, and unlike Weston she’s a bit more pessimistic.

Her PSTD symptoms were very well written and I loved how well Tessa’s thoughts were described. I like how the writer showed how people who have gone through something traumatic internally think and appreciate how she approached that subject with care.

Also I loved how well the writer was able to get in her characters head and describe things like an actual blind person would which is something lots of writers can forget to do.

With Westons help, she slowly starts to heal from her trauma. He helped her realize there is more to the world than just what we see, but also our smell, taste, sound, and touch.

Her growth and change in this book was very beautifully written.

Rudy-

Even though Rudy isn’t a main character, most of my favorite parts of the book were with him in it.

He’s Westons best friend and honestly one of the best “buddy of the main hero” characters ever. He was super loyal to Weston but wasn’t afraid to knock some sense into him at times which Weston definitely needed.

I loved the parts where Weston opens up to Rudy about how he feels about Tessa; Rudy was giving him advice and being such an awesome friend during those moments.

Weston and Rudy’s friendship was Friendship Goals and I loved it!

Plot…

5 senses-

First of all, I love how the plot was separated into parts for each sense that Weston was helping Tessa learn to appreciate (smell, taste, sound, and touch)! It was a creative and different way to plot the story. It felt unique and also heightened my anticipation and excitement for the story as I read. The plot was well paced and kept my interest throughout.

Romance-

The romance was super swoon worthy!

I loved that this story was written with both Weston and Tessa’s POV. It really helped understand both characters very well and led to many funny scenes as a reader knowing what both of their thought processes even though the characters themselves didn’t.

Since it had an enemies to lovers trope, I loved all the banter between them at the beginning. As the plot developed, the moments of pure wholesome intimacy were so much fun to read and I was swooning so much through the second half of the book.

The romance was paced very well so it felt very realistic and I loved that too.

Flashbacks-

The flashbacks are where I was truly hit with the feels!

Normally when I read books with flashbacks, it slows the plot down or gives unnecessary information. But the way the writer wove the flashbacks in with the present day timeline was done in a way that didn’t hinder the plot. But instead, aids in getting to know Weston’s character more and understand why he acts the way he does.

There was so many times throughout the flashbacks that I was close to tears. The scenes with Weston and his younger brothers got me especially because I’m also a oldest sibling and his feelings resonated with me to a degree. Also, watching him fight hard to prove to everyone that he wasn’t just a sob story and that he could do anything he set his mind to was very inspiring.

Final thoughts…

Though some may say Tessa was being overly dramatic for being so unhappy for loosing her sight. Or that it portrays people who are blind as people who can’t be independent or be happy. I think that Tessa was just responding to a difficult situation in her own way that matches her character.

I think that the point of this story is to show that even when you feel like you’re in the worse possible situation in life (wether it’s because of a disability or a traumatic experience or anything life throws at us), there is still beauty in the world and there are still things to live for.

Like the saying on the cover: When life knocks you down, get up.

About the Author…

Abbie Emmons has been writing stories ever since she could hold a pencil.
What started out as an intrinsic love for storytelling has turned into her lifelong passion. There’s nothing she likes better than writing (and reading) stories that are both heartrending and humorous, with a touch of cute romance and a poignant streak of truth running through them.
Abbie is also a YouTuber, singer/songwriter, blogger, traveler, filmmaker, big dreamer, and professional waffle-eater. When she’s not writing or dreaming up new stories, you can find her road-tripping to national parks or binge-watching BBC Masterpiece dramas in her cozy Vermont home with a cup of tea and her fluffy white lap dog, Pearl.

Check out Emmons’ Author Website | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

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So thats my first book review post. Hope you enjoyed! If you’re an author and want me to review your book, please check out my book review policy page and contact me.

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Book Review: 100 Days of Sunlight

Book Review: My Thoughts while Reading... 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

Summary and Book Cover…