Title: The Arrival of Someday
Author: Jen Malone
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 352
Pub Date: July 23, 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen
Book Source: publisher via edelweiss
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Synopsis: Hard-charging and irrepressible eighteen-year-old Amelia Linehan could see a roller derby opponent a mile away—and that’s while crouched down, bent over skates, and zooming around a track at the speed of light. They don’t call her Rolldemort for nothing! What she couldn’t see coming, however, was the unexpected flare-up of a rare liver disorder she was born with. But now it’s the only thing she—and everyone around her—can think about.
With no guarantee of a viable organ transplant, everything Amelia’s been sure of—like her college plans, the mural she’d been commissioned to paint, or the possibility of one day falling in love—has become a huge question mark, threatening to drag her down into a sea of what-ifs she’s desperate to avoid.
Then a friend from the past shows up. With Will, it’s easy to forget about what’s lurking underneath the lightness of their time together. It’s easy to feel alive when all signs point elsewhere. On the other hand, with the odds decidedly not in her favor, Amelia knows this feeling couldn’t last forever. But what can?
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*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***
The Arrival of Someday follows 18-year-old Amelia, who was born with a rare liver disorder. She's known about it her whole life, but as the book opens up, Amelia finds out that her disorder has caught up with her and she needs a liver transplant a lot sooner than anyone ever thought she might.
Amelia is the quintessential roller-derby girl. She is edgy, tough, quirky, and outspoken. Throughout the book we see Amelia struggle with letting go of this image and accepting the image of being the “dying girl”... and in the process, push everyone in her life away. Her best friend plays a huge part in the book. She plans rallies and organ donor drives trying to raise awareness and support her friend. Amelia is torn over it and the type of attention it brings upon her. The friendship becomes tense as the book goes on, as do Amelia's relationships with her parents and brother. This pushes Amelia to seek out distractions from the reality of her situation.
This brings me to the romance in the book. It honestly wasn't a focal point, but it did play an important part in the story. Amelia's brother is away at college and enlists his best friend (Will) to check up on his sister's well-being. Amelia has always had a little crush on Will, so he becomes a nice distraction from reality for Amelia, but with nothing but a few kisses and some time spent together, a distraction is all it really ends up being. Amelia is eventually forced to face her reality and the possibility that she may never get a new liver.
I felt almost every emotion possible while reading this book. I was sad for Amelia, but annoyed with her for treating her friends so badly. At the same time, it was easy to sympathize with her due to her situation. I was amused with the interaction between Amelia and her brother via Words With Friends games. It was LOL worthy. :) The book brought me from every high to every low, and it was a rollercoaster. I think the author did such a great job of capturing the reader and pulling them deep into the story. I felt very attached to the characters and was very touched by the story. It highlighted so much how someone's death (or the possibility of it) can not only effect them, but everyone around them. Especially when it is someone SO young.
All in all, I definitely recommend this book. It really is an emotional one, though, so be prepared! The character building and growth is amazingly done, and the story plays out perfectly. I was hooked from beginning to end!
