I particularly enjoyed Eloise’s character arc throughout this book. She has anxiety, and she’s virtually been friendless since her two best friends abandoned her during a period of severe depression. Hanging out with Austin is the last thing she wants to do, especially since he has such a sunny personality compared to her grumpy one, but she grows to learn that isolating yourself for so long has more adverse effects and spending time with other people can, actually, lift your spirits. The mechanics of his ritual were simple: Raise the joint to his lips, breathe in, breathe out, let his hand fall. This was the formula. Formulas he understood. He brought the joint to his lips, inhaled, and exhaled into nothing.

But, the absolute best character I think in this novel is Marianne. I think she delivers so much more depth to this piece. She’s funny and whip-smart and provides depth and insight not only to the protagonist, Eloise, but also to the reader. She also adds this fun 70s - Fleetwood Mac vibe to the whole book which is a whole other level of fun. For some reason, she believed him. She was sure that he had all the information: perhaps his wife had had enough of his meanness; perhaps she had a lover; maybe she didn’t like the fact that he was the kind of man who cared about fashion. Vivian believed that he understood the facts, but that, still, he didn’t know. Think the vibes of Better Than The Movies meets the grumpy x sunshine dynamic and you have All Alone With You ― a spectacular YA romance about friendship, music, navigating anxiety & most of all, love! Eloise Deane and Austin Yang easily captured the banter and sweetness of the grumpy x sunshine pairing and with what's ultimately a very character-driven story, this was a wonderful YA that you should absolutely have on your radar! ༘♡ ⋆˚.ೃ࿐ When I’m focused on leveling my rogue, I don’t have to think about going to LifeCare this weekend. I don’t have to think about Lydie and Jordan, best friends forever. I don’t have to think about anything. Because that’s the beauty of video games. You can slip into a different world. You can become someone else. You can be a hero—or a villain.In the title story, “Alone With You,” Marie feels the need to leave those she loves in the face of her illness. Why is she so against letting her family care for her? Do you agree with her thought that “It was only that they had discovered that they needed to look away from one another to find their futures,” (p. 164)? Considering it’s been five days, it’s kind of too soon to tell.” I try to keep the snark out of my voice—I know better than to openly antagonize my teachers and administrative staff—and force a smile onto my face to show her that I Am Totally Okay.

I was so happy when she started befriending Marianne and Austin (and his friends)! Seeing Eloise come out of her shell, opening up, not being alone all the time, her family noticing that she was actually *happy* when she started befriending Austin… It was all just so - - - !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🥹🥹🥹 It made me soooooooooo happy!!!!! ( also when will it be my turn? 🥲). There's a true romcom energy to this book that I believe readers of Lynn Painter or any YA romance really would have a great time with (if you love YA romances, you need this book in your life). NOW I WANT A MOVIE ADAPTATION - this would be so cute as movie or tv show! ♡❀Amelia Coombs has such a fun writing style. The story is absolutely endearing, with great pacing, wonderful characters and quirky wit. Aldo’s mother, a lively Dominican girl too young for motherhood and too beautiful to stay long in one place, had never been very present. If she had ever asked anything from the universe, Aldo imagined she’d probably gotten what she wished. i know this might sound awfully selfish, but if i could, i would keep this book to myself forever and ever and never let anyone approach it. it is so dear to me in a way that is almost inexplicable, perhaps because of how heartbreaking yet tenderly comforting it was, who knows, but what i can say with the utmost certainty is that i will treasure it for the rest of my life <3

The worry on Ms. Holiday’s face eases. “Excellent,” she says with a tentative smile. “Well, don’t let me keep you! I’m here if you have any—” overall surprisingly really enjoyed this! Eloise and Austin had believable chemistry and cute moments! it even made me cry in the third act! Not really. That’s how we progress as a culture. We change our minds and, little by little, we become something else.” I’m sorry I keep changing my rating, I just genuinely can’t decide what to rate this. I like it mo Why do you think Dorothy only tries unconventional means of treatment in “Night Train to Frankfort”? What makes Helen realize at the end of the story that her mother really does want to live?

In] Alone With You, Marisa Silver explores the impact of collateral damage, whether sustained in war or life - brisk and keenly observed - Silver's characters manage somehow to emerge as credible realists, unafraid of the rigors of making do. Even in the darkest moments, their stories are illuminating as they find the courage to face who they are. The receptionist at the adoption agency went on maternity leave. Rather than hire another temp, the director decided that Vivian could manage her work while sitting at the front desk. She instructed Vivian on how to handle the prospective parents who came to the office to be interviewed. Vivian was to be polite and helpful in terms of offering water or coffee or directing them to the restrooms in the hallway, but not overly solicitous and definitely not optimistic in any way. Vivian was confused by this last directive; she was unsure how to be helpful without giving off an air of optimism. Most couples sat in the waiting room in silence, fearing, perhaps, that anything they said in front of the receptionist might be used against them. When I reach my house, I’m relieved to find the driveway empty. Since our house was built in the early 1900s, our garage is better suited for tiny cars and horse-drawn carriages—not my mom’s massive minivan. And my dad bikes everywhere. Everywhere. He wears those gross spandex shorts and everything. After he lost his job, Dad made biking his life. Mom jokes that it’s a midlife crisis, but there’s a nugget of truth at the core.

Hexagons. Quantum groups. Symmetry. Nature loved balance, especially symmetry, but rarely managed it. How often did nature create perfection? Almost never. Math was different. Math had rules, finite and concrete, but then it just kept going. The problem and the thrill of abstract algebra was that Aldo had been studying it in depth for over seven years, and he could study it for seven million more and still understand almost nothing. He could spend infinite lifetimes studying the mathematical basis of the universe and the universe would still not make sense. In two weeks it might snow, might rain sideways, and then this park would not be available to him. He could get arrested for not-smoking or die at any moment, and then he’d have to do his thinking in jail or not at all, and the universe would remain unsolved. His work would never be done, and that alone was tragic, exhilarating, perfect. What inspires me? The way life is such a messy blend of joy and sorrow. The way we love and hurt one another at the same time. The incredible forbearance of human beings in the face of incredible emotional or physical difficulty. How asserting an identity can save a person but serve to separate them from those he loves best. The huge, ungainly, amazing, frightening thing that is living. I really think you’ll love LifeCare,” Ms. Holiday says once she realizes I’m not going to reply, and nudges the pamphlet closer. “It’s a great program—”Alone with You is full of dysfunctional relationships, affairs, and cheating. Some characters choose to stay with their partner, and some leave. In “Pond,” Burton muses about “how easy it was to flee from love, about the disaster of choosing loneliness,” (p. 63). In “Leap,” Sheila realizes that “it was possible to be okay and not okay at the same time, that a thing – a dog, say, or love – could only exist alongside the possibility of its absence,” (p. 100). Discuss a few of the couples in the novel, and examine the reasons for their choices. Who do you think ends up happiest? I never base characters on particular people, although I sometimes use small details from people I know or people I’ve observed. I don’t think my friends would talk to me anymore if they knew they might be fodder for my work! I would’ve liked to see more of her family. I know it was explained that she didn’t have much in common with her family and didn’t love hanging out with them, but still. The Seattle small town setting was brought to life through the wonderful descriptions from the cozy fall weather to the locales that Eloise & Austin visit across the chapters - I loved the small town vibes of this + the romcom energy making it a book I could NOT PUT DOWN.