Jenny Valentine has been one of my favourite authors since Finding Violet Park was published in 2007. I’ve enjoyed all her books (Broken Soup is my favourite), and was so excited to see that she’s back with a new YA book this year.

Us in the Before and After is written in typical Jenny Valentine style; it’s pacey, beautiful, and endlessly quotable. I actually sent several lines to my friend in the hope they might help with what she’s currently going through, which just goes to show how well-written this book is. It’s a subtle meditation on grief and loss, and I’ve personally taken a lot from it that I hope might help me too.

Valentine’s characters, Elk, Mab, France, and Knox, are ones I instantly took a liking to. The page count may be short and the chapters fleeting, but these four characters all stole my heart in one way or another. Whether it be Knox with his five-year-old innocence, France’s missing sock story, or Mab and Elk’s unwavering friendship, I loved them all and was happy to stay entwined in their lives.

I’ve been purposely vague in this review, as I really don’t want to give anything away about the story and how it progresses. It starts with a friendship and a tragedy, and ends with an understanding of life, death and everything inbetween. As usual I didn’t guess what was happening, or what heartbreak the author had up her sleeve, so I was duly surprised by the time I got to the final page. Sometimes it pays off to be an unwittingly obtuse reader!

As with all Jenny Valentine’s books, my only complaint is that I wish they were longer. I do think it would take away the succinctness of her stories, but I would selfishly love to prolong my stay in her worlds, even if it meant I was even more of a mess by the end of them.

If you’ve never heard of Jenny Valentine before, and you’ve never had the pleasure of reading one of her books, now’s your chance. Us in the Before and After will appeal to YA and adult readers a, and I hope it gets all the book love it deserves.

4.5/5.

for-review netgalley4 s Tanya Hill92 1 follower

A masterpiece. Adored adored adored 2 s Luke B166 16

4.5 Stars.

I really enjoyed this.

It's important to note that this is aimed more at a younger audience. It's a fantastic read about loss, grief, and friendship.

Jenny Valentine has always been fantastic when it comes to writing about people. I know that probably sounds silly (aren't all books about people?) - but the way she does it has always been special. Her writing here feels poetic at times, and I love the way she describes things. She's especially talented when it comes to grief - and the way she covers that in this story is beautiful.

The plot hooked me in very quickly - I don't want to post spoilers, but I was constantly finding myself wondering what was going to happen next. The twist later in the book was, for me at least, completely unexpected. I loved it.

My only reason for deducting half a star was that at times, I found the jumping between times a little confusing - but that all made sense by the end.

I would definitely recommend this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my honest review. 2 s Joanna211 1 follower

This book gripped me right from the beginning. The language used in the book is not particularly advanced as it is written from the perspective of a youngster, but there is a poetic feeling to it. It is a perfect book for KS3 students. Kai SpellmeierAuthor 7 books14.7k

I'm not telling you anything about this, I had to bear the pain on my own and so will youanticipated-202421 s Ruth951 15

Read & reviewed for The Bookbag: http://www.thebookbag.co.uk//U... Meg Jones74 29

Beautiful writing & story. 3.5?? Luna41

3.5 stars! i would have loved this when i was 14 though Claire Lockwood6

Excellent YA. Gripping with fabulous twists and turns. Kirsty 3,585 344

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