Review : The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin

Title : The Year We Fell Apart
Author : Emily Martin
Genre : YA contemporary
Release Date : January 26th, 2016
Publisher : Simon Pulse

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Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But her worst mistake was destroying her relationship with her best friend, Declan.

Now, after two semesters of silence, Declan is home from boarding school for the summer. Everything about him is different—he’s taller, stronger…more handsome. Harper has changed, too, especially in the wake of her mom’s cancer diagnosis.

While Declan wants nothing to do with Harper, he’s still Declan, her Declan, and the only person she wants to talk to about what’s really going on. But he’s also the one person she’s lost the right to seek comfort from.

As their mutual friends and shared histories draw them together again, Harper and Declan must decide which parts of their past are still salvageable, and which parts they’ll have to let go of once and for all.

To be honest, I have no plan to read this book up until I saw it as free reads on Riveted. Since it's free, I thought, why not? (who doesn't like free books anyway?). I was expecting something similar to Second Chance Summer, but turns out it's nothing like Second Chance Summer, eventhough it has a similar theme.

Something I should've realize when I read the synopsis is the main focus of this books is friendship. That's why it's different than Second Chance Summer, whose focus is family first, then friendship. The MC in this book is Harper Sloan, whose mom suddenly have cancer and whose ex best-friend-turn-boyfriend came back from boarding school. Honestly, I have a mixed feelings about both Harper and Declan. When Harper know that her mom have cancer, instead of spending more time with her, she goes out a lot and getting drunk and get a random hook-ups and overall disappointing her parents. I understand that people have a different way to 'accept' the fact that their mom have cancer, but that doesn't mean I like it. That's why I have a hard time connecting with her. Declan, on the other hand, is actual;y better than Harper. He's nice and kind, but his hot-and-cold attitudes toward Harper sometimes annoys me. Like, one second he comforted Harper, then literally the next second he insulted her. I think this happens a couple of times in this book.

I don't hate all the characters, though. All the secondary characters are actually great. Cory, the third-bestfriend (so basically, Harper, Declan and Cory are trio) is funny and I think he's my favorite. Mackenzie and Gwen--Harper and Declan's photography friends--are also a great friends. I just wish that Harper's family aren't a secondary characters. The Sloans are not a broken family--something we rarely see in YA. In fact, Harper's dad and mom seems to love each other deeply. I really wish the family is also the main focus.

Given that I have mixed feelings with the characters, I didn't expect to like the romance between Declan and Harper. It was a second-chance romance, and it still manages to give me feels eventhough I didn't really like the characters. Maybeit's because the romance wasn't the main focus (for me, it's friendship first).

Overall, The Year We Fell Apart is a good book about second chance friendship. If you didn't have problems with the characters, I think you'll enjoy this one!