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The Possibility of Now by Kim Culbertson Review

Hello Everyone :)


I'm so excited to share today's post with you all!

One of my very favorite things about having my own book blog is that every time I discover an amazing new book that I can't stop talking or thinking about, I get to share about it with you all!

If you're like me and you're pretty much the queen of reading contemporary young adult, then I hope you end up loving this book as much as I did.

The Possibility of Now by Kim Culbertson:



Source: Bought For Myself

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: January 26th, 2016

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary


Synopsis:

After years of overachieving at her elite school, Mara James has a complete meltdown during her calculus exam and, embarrassed by the incident and the viral video evidence, goes to live with her ski bum father in Squaw Valley, where she hopes to find a place to figure out where her life is headed, and maybe even finally understand her father.

(synopsis from goodreads)



My Review:

Even though young adult contemporary is my all time favorite genre, I've been feeling a little burned out on it lately. Most of the titles I've ended up picking up in the last while have been something of a letdown. They're either full of unnecessary or unsuitable content, or plagued by eye-rolling predictable tropes. However, reading The Possibility of Now reminded me once again as to why I love the young adult contemporary genre so much, and this story is truly an underrated gem.

I've had really good experiences with other books I've read by Kim Culberston, and I continue to appreciate her ability to write a story that stays enticing and addicting to the reader, while keeping the content fairly clean. I feel that Mara's story will resonate with high school students everywhere, as they are most likely able to relate to the pressures you experience when having to please everyone around you, and prep for a future you're not sure you're ready for.

It continues to amaze me how much I enjoy sports romances when I'm not the slightest fan of sports in real life. The focus on skiing and the Lake Tahoe setting made this book an even further stand out. Even though it's been about sixteen years since I last stepped foot on a ski hill, the writing was so immersive and atmospheric that I felt like I was right there experiencing everything with the characters.

I have to also applaud Kim Culbertson for the real teen issues she tackles during this heartfelt contemporary story. Mara struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, and these are only made worse when she becomes the victim of cyber bullying and its fallout. She also struggles having grown up with an absentee dad, and failing to understand why that part of her life was never truly explained to her by her mother. 

This story truly had it all; real teen issues, a swoon worthy romance, a likable protagonist, a beautiful setting, and an emphasis on focusing on what's truly important in life. I was a little hesitant going into the ending, as I was worried it wasn't going to go in the direction I wanted it to. However, the author wraps up everything beautifully, but also realistically, and I much appreciated that fact.

I can't possibly recommend this one enough, and I recommend it for anyone who's a fan of other cleaner YA authors like Kasie West. This will for sure be a reread for me in the future, and I'm definitely going to have to read the other Kim Culbertson books that I haven't got to yet.

Final Rating: 5/5

Quotables:

"Some people feed off the busy, but I have the opposite reaction. I need the stillness, the smallness, to remind me to settle, to breathe."

Honestly, one of the only things I didn't end up loving about this book is the cover. This is a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover, as this one fails to adequately represent the gorgeous story that lies between its bindings.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photos do not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners. 

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