Daniella (Reading With Daniella)'s Reviews > There Will Come a Time

Wow, this book was so powerful. There Will Come a Time really pulled at my heartstrings and gave me the feels. But in a wonderful way! It was a truly beautiful story of loss and learning that life goes on.

I adored the characters in this story. Mark was unlike any character I've ever read about before. First of all, I rarely read contemporaries from a boy's point of view, so that was a nice change. Also, he had an edge, even before the accident. I find that in most stories about losing people, the character is more sad than anything else. Mark dealt with the grief with a lot of anger, and I found that this portrayal was important because this is the reality for many people. And watching Mark change and grow over the course of the book was truly emotional and touching.
I liked learning more about Grace, even after she had died, when Mark thought about old memories of her or would read her journals. The twins' relationship was so strong and beautiful. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see them torn about in such a horrid way. It was painful to see Mark attempt to recover from it. When he'd do things such as visit the bridge, it truly tore me apart. But when Mark learned how to forgive himself and keep living, it was a triumphing moment. I felt proud of him for managing to come so far.
I thought that Mark and Hanna trying to complete Grace's list was a fantastic way to honor her. It was a tough thing for Mark to do, but it helped him learn how to bear the pain a little better and let go of all the anger.

Sebastian was a great character. He was fun (I especially enjoyed his alien and sci-fi obsession), and he's always there for Mark. He always forgave him and let him back in even after he made mistakes. Like I said earlier, I'm not used to contemporaries from a guy's point of view, so I don't often see a lot of friendships between guys like this. I really enjoyed it though. I also loved Mark's other friend Pete. He was a really cool character and I loved his passion for fashion. He just seemed like a really fun and great person to be around.
Hanna was an interesting love interest. It was the cliché of childhood friends falling in love as teens, but with a good twist. She was a really great friend to Mark and was with him in even the toughest times because of her forgiving nature.
Mark's stepmother Jenny was a great character! She was funny and super sweet and nice. I think she really seemed to understand Mark in ways that other people didn't.
And I absolutely loved Lily. Her bluntness was interesting and unique in a way, and I really think she played a huge part in helping Mark recover. I really enjoyed the texts the shared about what they missed about who they lost. Seeing Mark find the little things about Grace's absence was heart-wrenching, but wonderful.

I also really liked how Mark was part of that group Twinless Twins. I think that they also played a rather large role in helping Mark, and it was nice to see him learn to forgive, but not forget with their help.

Something else I'd like to mention is how much this book fit one of my favorite songs, Beautiful Pain, by Andy Black. The lyrics of the song are about losing somebody close, and it was perfect match to what happens in the story. I absolutely love when I can find a song that fits something in a book. Plus I already loved this song. Seriously, Andy Black is incredible, check him out!

This was a really beautiful book that I suggest giving a go. It'll make you smile as well as shed a tear or two.