Sweet, and full of optimism in the face of despair. Beautifully written, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Tessa and Weston. It was nice to read a truly hopeful and bright story in the midst of the damaged and broody reads I’ve had on my TBR of late. The message hit me deeply and personally. I highlighted more phrases in this one book than I have all year. If you’re looking for a book full of hope and sunlight. This is it.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not normally a fan of contemporary, but this story was so well written and so extremely sweet! It really is a book of sun light, and I appreciate that so much. Overcoming darkness and trials is hard, but this book has such a lovely theme of seeing the good, seeing the rays of sun in our lives even in hard times.
Weston and Tessa were two very real characters, and I adored them. I really enjoyed being able to get to know them both, and I liked how Abbie wrote not only Tessa's story of freedom but also Weston's. It was more impacting that way, I felt, because I could see where Weston was and where he was now and truly understand all the hard work and discipline he put himself through to get to where he was at when he met Tessa. I really don't have anything super negative to say about this book! I'm so glad to have gotten the privilege to read it early!
My only two comments would be that I wish there was less swearing (swearing in stories just really turns me off), and I really wish Rudy had a bigger part with Weston and Tessa. I would've loved if he had had the opportunity to meet and interact with Tessa and they became a close knit threesome. I just think it would've been a lot of fun and made a lot of sense since Weston and Rudy knew each other so well. I wondered several times where Rudy was and why he wasn't butting in (because I totally felt like he was the type to do that). When he did butt in at the end, it was a little...confusing, I guess, because there really was no prior mention of him knowing everything and being a part of Weston and Tessa.
But definitely really enjoyed this book--a perfect summer read, and I would highly recommend it!

"No one has ever seen the light by being told there are darker places out there."

Hoolyy shiiiiit this was so good!
I absolutely adore every single piece of this, from the cover and title, to the language, to every character trait - just all of it!
While this isn't written in verse, there are definite hints of poetry throughout the narration (excluding the actual poems, which were so good!)
The imagery of sunlight consistently scattered throughout the narrative was perfect, and Tessa being compared to a volcano? YES!
Honestly, the realness of the characters, I just cannot!!
And while, yes, this is a cutesy contemporary novel, there are also real issues, and real struggles. Of course, I don't know what it's like to lose your sight or your legs or have any other form of handicap, but the way Abbie Emmons has written it makes it feel real, not just like some trait added for extra drama. As Weston so succinctly put it; "You're not a handicap. You have a handicap."
While this is, to some extent, a story of recovery, there are also real and important set-backs. Tessa letting her depression and fear overwhelm her, Weston thinking he's lost some sort of worth along with his legs... I just want to give them both a hug!
Not only do I love the language and the characters and the story, but the skill it takes to write something like this? I can't even explain it.. Just the tiny detail that chapters taking place before the main storyline are written in past tense, while the rest is present? It took me a while to actually register, but it's such a small detail that actually makes a difference to how you read a story.
Honestly, I'm going to stop now, because I can ramble on about this forever, and everyone needs to read this book ASAP!

When I first saw this book on NetGalley, there were so many things that drew me in! It’s about a girl named Tessa who loses her vision for 100 days. She writes poetry and is in need of her outlet, and that’s where Weston comes in. Weston is an amputee who understands some of what Tessa is going through, and comes to write the poetry Tessa dictates despite her not wanting him around. Weston stays because he enjoys someone treating him normally since Tessa can’t see his disability.

Doesn’t that synopsis sound wonderful? There were so many things that drew me in from that synopsis. I love books that center around disability, and so I requested this book. As I was reading, however, I became increasingly frustrated with the way things were handled, and I realized that part of my frustration came from having read other books that I thought handled things better. So I decided to write a review that would go through my issues with this book, and instead of just leaving it there, I’d also recommend a book that I thought handled that aspect well in its place.

When I started this book, I was actually enjoying myself. I highlighted a quote I liked, and although the writing never wowed me, I was happy to keep on reading. But slowly things started piling up. At first, I was willing to ignore some of my issues because I thought they would get resolved, but when I kept reading and matters were only getting worse instead of better, my opinion started to change.

The first thing that bothered me was the main character Tessa. She’s obviously going through a very difficult time, but I did not like how she reacted to Weston’s presence. Part of this had to do with how one-dimensionally I felt she reacted to things. I could see Tessa’s anger, and I could understand it at times, but I never quite felt it. I felt detached from Tessa’s emotions and that kept me from empathizing properly. This tended to be a big issue throughout the book, where the writing kept me from relating to characters, but it was strongest with Tessa.

Now, one of my favorite books follows an unlikable blind main character. Not If I See You First was quite possibly the first book with a blind character that I read. But while Parker’s not likable, I loved reading this book because I understood exactly why she was acting in such an unlikable manner. She was processing a myriad of emotions and I could feel them all throughout the book. If you’re looking for a book with a blind main character, or just a good book in general, I definitely recommend this one.

But still, I could have handled all of that, and still given this book 3 stars. But Weston’s journey was what really made this a one-star read for me, and so I’m going to spend the rest of this review focusing on him. Things might get a bit spoilery, but I don’t recommend reading this book, so I don’t mind leaving those bits in.

It first started going downhill once we started getting Weston’s backstory. Now, you learn how Weston loses his legs, and I’m not really going to comment much about that aspect. Weston is an adrenaline junkie that makes the worst decisions he can on a daily basis, so skateboarding off a roof may not have been the stupidest thing he did in this book.

What really bothered me about his story was his recovery. I have several quotes from the ARC that made me reaaaaally mad when I read them. I want to preface by saying that I am not an amputee. However, I am in college at the moment for biomedical engineering. One of my ideal careers is making prosthetics. Because of that, I’ve done quite a bit of research on the subject. So this topic feels very close to my heart.

It all starts when just days after surgery, Weston decides to have a positive outlook. While I was okay with this on its own, I disliked how that meant that Weston decided to be just as careless and stupid as possible, just without legs. Especially since I for one don’t see that as character development.

The first thing that bothered me was that Weston decided to completely disregard what his physical therapists told him. To the point where this was an actual quote from the e-arc.

“They gave me a piece of paper with safety guidelines on it. I crunched it up and tossed it out the window on the drive home.”

Ummm. What now? I understand that not everyone reads the directions their doctors give them, but to deliberately disregard what they said in that fashion didn’t sit well with me. And I was right to be worried.

What followed were a series of just idiotic actions meant to show that Weston wasn’t letting his disability stop him. But I don’t think it’s brave to climb the stairs in your prosthetics for the first time in the dark with no one around. I think that’s stupid. And rock-climbing without a harness? A bad idea whether you’re an amputee or not. And for both of these things, he was applauded! No one told him what he did was dumb. And you’d think that after the stunts he had pulled to get him into this situation in the first place, it would come up!

But that’s another thing that bothered me. No one but Weston is affected by him losing his legs. His mother continues to let him do whatever he wants without ever even telling him to be safe or showing much worry at all. His brother who was there when he first sustained his injury gets over his guilt for his part in the situation after the two hug it out once. I was so confused by this because I didn’t see how Weston’s disability affected anything or anyone. No one changed, not even Weston! The only way we see Weston’s vulnerability is through his attempt to push away any girl who can see his disability. But this wasn’t developed well and was just out of character in a variety of ways whenever this plot point was put into play.

So what can you read with better amputee representation? I have two books for this one. The first is The Running Dream. It’s one of my favorite books, and I love how we follow the journey that Jessica takes after she loses her leg. I think this book had all the nuance that I was missing in 100 Days of Sunlight. It had the ups and downs and had a character move forward after she lost her leg, with the help and advice from those that cared about her.

Brave Enough is another one I’d recommend. This follows a dancer who loses her leg, and her recovery process as she falls in love with a former addict. Again, this book has nuance and development that I didn’t find in 100 Days of Sunlight.

Moving on from the amputee aspect, I also got very upset with the way consent was handled in this book. Normally, if consent isn’t written out but there are no issues, I don’t take much issue, although I’d like for consent to be verbalized more. What bothered me about the consent in this book, is how it was clearly stated that she didn’t give her consent, but he kissed her anyway.

“Then I whisper, “I’m gonna kiss you. Is that okay?”

It’s not fair, because I don’t give her any time to reply. Instead, I press my lips against hers. Without permission.”

It’s specified and written out that he was kissing her without permission. What I don’t understand is why include a part about asking her in the first place? Either you’re overcome with passion and kiss her, which has its issues, but I’m more comfortable with that than this scenario where he’s taking the time to ask and them not even waiting for an answer. I don’t see any excuse there. If you took the time to ask the question, you can take the time to wait for the answer.

What’s more than that, Tessa’s reaction was just to assume that someone asking for a kiss was a rhetorical question.

“He kissed me.

He literally kissed me.

I’ll never forget the way that felt. Soft, sweet, dizzying. He asked my permission, but didn’t wait for a reply—and even if he had, I don’t think I would have been able to reply. How do you reply when a boy asks if he can kiss you? Especially when you’ve never even seen the boy? Especially when you want to kiss him back?”

I would say that you should answer yes. And that you don’t just brush this off as an impassioned kiss. It’s a matter of consent. And I actually have a book with great consent to recommend to you. I’ve mentioned it before, but Coming Up for Air was one of the best books I’ve come across when it comes to consent, YA or otherwise. The characters make it a priority to discuss everything and listen to one another, and to make sure they’re comfortable with the direction their relationship is going. And of course, I think the book is pretty great in general.

Those were my biggest issues with the book. I have so many other little issues and quotes, but this already is a long, ranty review and I think mentioning any more is unnecessary at this point.

I did not enjoy this book and was a bit upset to see all the wonderful reviews it has been getting. I understand wanting to support an indie author, and I’m glad people enjoyed her book, but there were so many problematic elements in this book that I’m a little worried that so few people have mentioned them.

I normally end my reviews saying that I’d recommend a book, even if I didn’t enjoy it. That’s not the case here. I cannot recommend this book after seeing the way things were handled in this book. This is one of the very few books I’ve rated 1 star, but by the time I finished reading, I couldn’t see myself giving it any other rating.

I loved this book!
It was so sweet, I absolutely adored both characters and their perspectives. I thought integrating Westons past experiences with the current timeline was really well done and I just want to give them both a huge hug.
This was a great read for summer, interesting and engaging and a super fast read.

100 Days of Summer by Abbie Emmons is a beautiful tale of trust, love, and forgiveness — because sometimes we need to learn to forgive ourselves. In many ways, it’s harder to forgive ourselves than to forgive others.
I liked both Tessa and Weston, but I especially loved their families. They were refreshingly real and supportive.
I loved the back and forth through time so the reader got to get a full picture of these characters before and after. Well done!

DISCLAIMER: <i>I was provided a free advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher</i>

This story was cute!

Going into a self published novel, I didn't have high expectations, and given that I would say I was pleasantly surprised.

100 Days of Sunlight tells the story of a girl named Tessa who has temporarily lost her eyesight after a car accident caused her some brain damage. Her sight is supposed to return around 100 days. Before she lost her sight, she ran a poetry blog in her free time and it was her passion. After losing her sight, she is no longer able to do what she loved, so her grandparents (who she lives with) attempt to help and get her someone to write the poetry she says. Tessa decides not to follow through with the idea, but the ad still ends up in the hands of Weston. Weston is an amputee who lost his legs in an accident, but Tessa doesn't know that. When he comes to help her, he is determined to pull her out of the metaphorical darkness, all the while keeping the fact he doesn't have legs a secret.

This story definitely developed in writing style after a while. The beginning was very repetitive as a way to bring emphasis but it felt just a tad underdeveloped and unnecessary. I really enjoyed the family dynamic presented in this book. Tessa, being raised by her grandparents, and Weston, having a TON of younger brothers, I enjoyed seeing this family connection and bond they each had respectively. I also enjoyed the friendship dynamics we had at times and I wish there was more.

The love story presented felt very hate-to-lovers wannabe, if that makes sense. Then, once we liked each other it was like BOOM insta-love. I think this is written for a younger audience than myself, which is fair.

Overall, the book was good and I enjoyed it, just a it slow (or cringey) at parts and I found myself wanting more. For a self-published book and debut, I did enjoy it, though and thought it was well done.

Oh, how my heart swells! The clue is in the title and Abbie Emmon's debut novel 100 Days of Sunlight is both pure and uplifting and the perfect antidote for today's trying times. It has poetry, sunlight and victory over adversity, a character-driven plot and a story so beautiful that it makes the heart soar. Recommended for fans of Wonder, this is the young adult breakout hit of the summer and I'm prepared to stand on rooftops singing its praises.

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Dickinson can no longer see. She was involved in a car accident which blessedly took no lives but Tessa has lost her eyesight as a consequence. Her doctors are optimistic that her sight might return but the truth is that nobody knows. Keen to establish a link to Tessa's former life, her grandparents take out an advertisement for a typist to enable Tessa to continue writing and updating her poetry blog.

The problem is that they don't consult Tessa and she certainly does not approve, forcing them to cancel the ad. Still, Weston Ludovico turns up on Tessa's doorstep, unwanted and optimistic to a fault. Tessa takes an instant disliking to him but she cannot see the one thing Weston asks to be kept secret from her. Weston has a disability and unlike Tessa, his condition is certainly not temporary.

As we delve deep into Weston's backstory and explore Tessa's reaction to the world around her, we're gifted with surprisingly complex characters and intense character development. Despite this depth, the novel remains light (yes, like sunlight) and was an absolute joy to read. I really didn't want to put it down and spent a couple of late nights reading into the early hours.

100 Days of Sunlight is one of those books that makes you fall in love with life again and it inspires a desire to truly live one's best life. It is absolute, pure, sunny magic. I very much hope that Abbie Emmons has more books planned for the very near future.

I give 100 Days of Sunlight a superb five out of five stars and recommend to absolutely everyone. I'd especially recommend to those seeking superior young adult fiction with good character development as well as younger teens seeking clean YA fiction with no sexual content.

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Absolute perfection. It made my heart pang, my eyes water and gave me all the emotions. Such a creative and beautifully wrote book, the perfect summer read.

You guys this book is beautiful sunshiny goodness that every whole hearted reader needs to take a bite out of!!

Like seriously you guys my heart is a puddle of mush right now. Like it is currently melted into a puddle on the floor. Thank you Abbie Emmons for making me cry!!

I mean guys there was so many things to love about this book. The characters. Their struggles. The inspiration of it all just filled my heart and made me smile with tears in my eyes.

First off I loved the two main characters and each of their POVs. Weston is an adorable little charmer whose energy is literally infectious and you cannot stop yourself from falling in love with his adorableness. He’s also an amputee. Meaning he lost both his legs in an accident when he was a kid. This of course sparks his original fascination with Tessa- a girl who in fact cannot see that he is a boy with no legs because she is blind....this of course leads to a very intrigued me and omg this story is just so amazing. It addresses deep issues but does not lose it light heartedness and for that I love it!

Tessa is also amazing. She is a sixteen year old poet who runs her own blog and therefore know the ins and outs of making online friends and expressing her feelings through writing. Since the accident and her blindness she can no longer write on her own and is in need of someone to assist her (aka be her typist) but she’s angry. She’s so angry in fact that when Weston comes into her life she takes it all out on him. She’s stubborn, driven, shy and at times a little scared and anti social (but like what sixteen year old girl isn’t at times??) but so so strong.

Thats one thing these two have in common how strong they both are!! And AHHH OMG THE ROMANCE THAT DEVELOPS IS SO SOFT AND FLOWERY ITS LIKE FALLING INTO A SOFT MEDOW OF DAISYS!! The way Weston never gives up on her and Tessa never gives up on him *queue the endless swooning*

Also Westons endless snarkyness and protectiveness is such a deadly combination I was like THIS BOY YALL HE IS GOLDEN! GOLDEN!!

I also really adored Weston and Rudy’s friendship. The two of them together throughout the years truly encompasses what real friendship is all about. I loved them. Their banter and fights always put a smile on my face, Abbie Emmons really nailed it with those two characters.

I also loved Tessa’s Grandparents and how much they nurtured both Tessa throughout her recovery and accepted Weston as if he was another member of the family as well. The only thing I didn’t love about this book was that I thought there was almost a tad too many flashback scenes when it came to Weston and his story (but this may be just a personal preference thing) and also the ending felt just a tad abrupt?? I could have used a few more pages or a little more discussion between both Tessa and Weston but I still very much loved it!

This book is so very good you guys. I truly have not read a book like it and I thought it was about so much inner love and overcoming obstacles but in the cutest, most flowery way of all! Such an inspiration, great young love, and overall a really really enjoyable read! I read this almost all in one day haha!

Oh my, this book gave me all of the feels.

Tessa is a 16-year old blogger that is hit by a drunk driver and suffers a brain contusion, causing her to temporarily lose her sight. As she falls into a state of despair, her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper for someone to come transcribe her poetry, but Tessa begs them to take remove it prior to going to press. Cue Weston, the 16-year old son of the owner of the local newspaper. As a double-amputee, he feels that people treat him different due to his disability, and he's seeking normalcy, all while hoping to help Tessa along the way.

Let me tell you, Weston IS sunshine. The story alternates between his perspective and Tessa's, and he shares his story from the day of his accident. He is such a brave, strong soul, and I found myself cheering for his triumphs throughout the book. This, combined with the sweet romance between him and Tessa, is the reason that I gave '100 Days of Sunlight' five stars.

I feel that the target audience (young adult) is extremely appropriate, and I would have no qualms recommending this to someone with a preteen or teen. That being said, the themes of overcoming obstacles, not letting your problems define you, and healing make it a novel that transcends generations, and can be enjoyed by older readers as well. This book is a feel-good read that I couldn't put down. I'm sure that it's not the last we'll be reading by Abbie Emmons.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Cute and feel good, but I felt like I’d read so many of these tropes before. This was fun and quick but not particularly memorable.

Tessa loses her vision after hitting her head in a car accident. The doctors think her sight will come back. But she is wallowing in her misery. Depressed. Feeling no purpose. How is she suppose to blog or write her poetry? Weston comes into her life to write her thoughts for her. He has suffered his own loses. After all, he has no legs due to his own mistakes. Tessa initially rejects his help but with time she learns a lot from Weston.

This is a very cute, heartfelt young adult book about overcoming loss and healing. Well written. In fact, I'm impressed that this is the authors first book. Interesting storyline showing a lot of personal growth from both characters. Uplifting and sweet. Its a very easy read. Perfect for the younger teens as its pretty clean.

**Advanced copy obtained from Abbie Emmons via Netgalley**

Really fun YA Romance with a deeper examination on disabilities- both permanent and temporary. Great representation of the handicap community. I found Weston's story really compelling, and I wanted to keep reading for more! Definitely worth recommending to teens who like romance.

100 days is approximately the amount of time that Tessa will be without her eyesight. After a traumatic car accident, Tessa Dickinson temporarily loses her vision. Her grandparents attempt to place an ad in the local paper for a typist so Tessa can continue her blogging and keep her connected to the outside world but the person who shows up turns in to so much more. Weston Ludovico has a stunning smile, endless optimism and no legs. The two form an important friendship and show one another that not only does a disability not define you but that even at your lowest point, there is still love, hope and sunlight to hold on to.

I really enjoyed the overall premise and story of the book. There were times that I absolutely felt myself rolling my eyes at all of the teenage feelings but then I reminded myself that this IS a YA book and I was able to quickly move on. At the times the story felt a bit disjointed and I wanted the connections of the story between Tessa's blindness and her friendship with Weston and his own story of losing his legs and overcoming those obstacles to flow together a bit better. The story and information was all there but I wasn't impressed with the way they were joined together to make the story feel cohesive. The characters were also a bit underdeveloped and I would have loved to know more about Tessa pre-blindness.

I would definitely recommend this book to teen girls that love warm and fuzzy stories. I do love that it touched on teens with disabilities and instead of seeing them from an outside observer perspective, you were put right there in their thoughts and feelings. 100 Days of Sunlight was an unexpected but enjoyable read!

I feel like this was a good and solid debut novel. I loved reading about Weston, I totally adored his personality. The flashbacks showing us what happened to him and his great strength were what I appreciated the most. I also really liked his friendship with Rudy.
I must admit that I wasn’t Tessa’s biggest fan, at times I really found her annoying. But it was very nice to see her relationship with her grandparents and how deeply they care for her.
One thing I did not appreciate was how the two characters came to meet each other. I don’t like it when people look up other people’s home address and show up at their house, it’s just not my thing. Can characters please not do that? Other than that it was quite an enjoyable read.

A wonderful read. It is a book about love and it’s strength it is also a short book therefore a quick read. Thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book had a lot of great qualities, unfortunately I feel like this book just wasn’t for me. It reminded me almost instantly of “The Fault in our Stars” which I loved. I found the plot was intriguing and I liked the dynamic between Weston and Tessa. I tried but unfortunately I was unable to finish it. I feel like this book is perfect for a young adult audience. In the end it just wasn’t for me but I know so many teens are going to fall head over heels for this book!

I'll admit I judged this book by its cover. And what a beautiful cover it is. It fits with the inspirational, uplifting story it protects. I think a lot of people will like this book, but it wasn't necessarily for me.

Let's get into the characters. Weston is definitely the star of this book. Despite getting dealt some pretty tough cards, Weston is probably the most optimistic person in the world. Luckily it's balanced out by some snark, self-deprecation, and humor or else I would really hate him. Tessa, however, I wasn't so enamored with. I struggled to relate to her and found her attitude pretty infuriating. Realistically, I'm sure I'd act similarly if I suddenly went blind, but it just wasn't fun to read. For the majority of the book, she acted quite childish.

The storyline moved quickly which I appreciated, and I enjoyed the differences in time and perspective because if it had been just Tessa all day long this would have been a boring book. I'm seeing a lot of complaints in other reviews regarding swearing and teen romance and I'm a bit baffled. I didn't realize this book was considered Christian (Christian faith is mentioned peripherally) and I honestly don't recall a single swear even though I just finished the book. I guess I'm used to much more explicit books! I actually thought the romance was lacking and the ending really threw me for a loop. I'm an epilogue, fully fleshed out HEA girl at heart and this provided none of that.

All in all this book was a sweet, uplifting read. I think it's targeted audience will love it. I just wasn't that audience!

I was able to read this book early thanks to #NetGalley

This was a quick little read, that was quite enjoyable. Tessa Dickinson was a bit bratty and harsh, but it's understandable. I think this book will be good for YA readers at the HS I work at.
#ARC