Title: There Will Come a Time [Amazon]
Author: Carrie Arcos [website]
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: Contemporary
Source/Type: Edelweiss/Digital ARC
Stars: 3.5 of 5
Publisher Description:
Mark knows grief. Ever since the accident that killed his twin sister, Grace, the only time he feels at peace is when he visits the bridge on which she died. Comfort is fleeting, but it’s almost within reach when he’s standing on the wrong side of the suicide bars. Almost.
Grace’s best friend, Hanna, says she understands what he’s going through. But she doesn’t. She can’t. It’s not just the enormity of his loss. As her twin, Mark should have known Grace as well as he knows himself. Yet when he reads her journal, it’s as if he didn’t know her at all.
As a way to remember Grace, Hanna convinces Mark to complete Grace’s bucket list from her journal. Mark’s sadness, anger, and his growing feelings for Hannah threaten to overwhelm him. But Mark can’t back out. He made a promise to honor Grace—and it’s his one chance to set things right.
My Thoughts:
You get to the point in reading when you read one book about grief and death and you feel like you have read them all. I mean there isn’t a whole lot that can be said that is different when talking about grief and loss. Sure people grieve differently and at their own pace, but when you put that grief in a book it can all start to blend. With that said I think There Will Come a Time is a different kind of grief book that stands on it’s own and is memorable in its own right.
There Will Come a Time is the story of Mark, a grieving high schooler that is dealing with the death of his twin sister Grace. Since the accident that took Grace, Mark has been angry and holding on by a thread. He feels lost without his twin, guiltily for being alive and disconnected from his life. He waffles between wanting to switch places with Grace and wanting to be with her in death. He has nothing to hold on to other than Hannah, Grace’s best friend. And when Hannah suggests they complete a list that Grace wanted to do Mark agrees. The closer Mark and Hannah get the more Mark’s feelings for her grow and so does his guilt for being unable to save the sister he loved dearly.
What I liked the most about this book was the realness of Mark. He was believable in his grief and his anger and his feelings. He lost what felt like a part of him and I think that came through in the writing. I could feel his guilt at being the least bit happy. I could feel why he hurt so much that he was there when Grace wasn’t. And I could feel the uncertainty at getting to live the life Grace never would get to. All of that really worked in making Mark a likable character even when he was acting out because as a reader you understood the pain. And his relationship with Hannah was all sorts of perfect. They just worked from the start and I liked that a lot. It wasn’t forced or pushed. It was natural which made it right.
I also really liked Mark’s dad and step mother Jenny. A lot of times in YA the parents are more of a hindrance than a part of the book. But that wasn’t the case here. And the fact that Jenny wasn’t someone else for Mark to hate was a nice added touch. She was actually someone he wanted to spend time with and that was refreshing. It doesn’t happen often and books and I thought it was a nice inclusion in this one and just fit right.
Basically I found this book really enjoyable in a heartbreaking, uplifting way. It was done in a way that shows grief and pain don’t last forever. That when you are ready to move on you’re ready. That it is okay to be sad and angry and to feel guilty. But it is also okay to be happy and to live.
I couldn’t agree more! Although this was a “grief book” it felt different, too, not as emotionally heavy or draining but in a good way. There was enough of a plot along with the thoughtful prose. Plus, male point-of-views are always a win!