Title: Seven Days of You
Author: Cecilia Vinesse
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.
Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?
This book is such a quick, easy read - I finished it in one sitting, and I don't recall myself being bored at any part of the story. One particular aspect that I loved is that the writing is authentic. Throughout the entire novel, Sophia went through so much emotionally, and the writing reflects that. Her confusion, her elation, her anger, her disappointment - you feel all of them through every word. I really like that this story isn't just about Sophia and Jamie, and not just Sophia and circle of friends. A large part of the story, rather, focuses on Sophia and how her notion of home. For the most part of the book, Sophia considers home to be the permanent place that she lives in. It was engrossing to read how Sophia's perspective slowly but surely changed, and I like how it was her sister who helped her see what's she hasn't been seeing all these years.
The dynamics of Sophia's circle of friends was also interesting - albeit a little frustrating. Both Mika and David see Sophia - or "Sofa" - as a little girl who knows nothing, and while it's only during the events of the novel that all of Sofia's resentment explodes, it clearly has been building for a long time. The friendship between the three is full of tension, secrets, and hidden feelings, and was what made this book a compelling read, and Jamie returning only pushes everyone to his or her tipping point.
A section of the book primarily focused on Jamie and Sophia setting things straight and renewing their friendship, and exploring what might have been... or what was always there, and this was another part of the story that I really liked reading. I liked Jamie's character, and how kind, open and honest he was to Sophia. Sure, there was a bit of push and pull, but he was always there to help Sophia whenever she needed him the most.
I know that the story is set in Tokyo, but I have to say that it didn't feel that way to me. I know that a lot of famous places, buildings and what-nots were mentioned, but I feel like that deterred from the story instead. It really felt like a first-time tourist in Japan was our main character. I never got the feeling that Sophia lived in Tokyo for years - rather, I felt like she was a tourist, ticking places off her check list, and not going to the places that she actually frequents. Tokyo wasn't a convincing setting - take out all the places that Sofia or the people around her name drop, and she could be anywhere else. Moreover, I can't help but be surprised that there aren't a lot of Japanese characters in the story, given that the entire book takes place in Tokyo.
All in all, I enjoyed Seven Days of You and the different relationships that were explored, and I feel that this its strongest asset.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
