Review Detail

I'm going to preface this by saying that I very rarely read contemporary YA. After finishing Night Sky I'm asking myself why that is, because I couldn't put it down!

I loved that the story was told from Jameson's point of view, as a male PoV is always a nice change of pace. I'm actually a little in love with him - he had me laughing out loud in several spots.

"Stop having imaginary conversations in your head, Jameson. Sooner or later you'll be having them out loud."

"Now that they're both in view, the problem is clear. Girl I've loved, girl I'm falling for. Let's meet in my driveway and see if we can give Jameson his first heart attack."

Finishing up his senior year of high school, most of his thoughts for Sky veered towards a more sexual manner - which made his character so much more believable. He was constantly checking her out and picturing what it would be like to touch her. I think it made his growth as a character truly shine, as by the end of the book he was more concerned with how he felt about her as a person, then how her smooth skin felt under his touch (though those thoughts weren't far behind!) He had a strong emotional reaction to everything that happened to him, which I remember experiencing myself in high school, and his uncomfortableness with Sky's brutal honesty rule was also something I could picture myself having trouble with at his age. I loved his relationship with his parents, who for once weren't absent (yey!), though I do wish his father had had a stronger response to some of Jay's angry outbursts.

Like Jay, I was eager for more Sky. Her bluntness with everything, including her growing reservations about being his rebound for Sarah, was refreshing and allowed for a completely honest dialogue between them. Her insistence that they take their time with each other, in order to learn to care about one another instead of just acting purely on their obvious chemistry (and chemistry - phew! It literally jumped off the pages!), had me rooting for her. It definitely helped that Jameson was constantly in awe of her presence, as just being close to her allowed him to feel like a better person. Her lack of honesty at the end was a betrayal that I felt alongside Jameson, but because of the trust she had for him after revealing her painful past, I was still hoping there would be forgiveness on both sides. I loved the references to her heritage, and how important it was to her, and felt like it added another element of genuineness to Night Sky.

I never truly cared for Sarah, as I always saw her as childish. Jameson constantly described her with youthful innocence, and childlike sweetness - I just saw selfishly childish. Her blatant disrespect for her friendship with Jameson, once she snagged a boyfriend who was jealous of their closeness, had me immediately disliking her. Telling her boyfriend not to be jealous because he was "just Jameson" was like a physical blow that had me sympathizing with Jay, as he was more then "just" anything - he was her best friend and deserved to be treated as such. I am glad they were able to mostly repair their relationship though, and that Jameson realized that what he felt for Sarah paled in comparison to his feelings for Sky.

I absolutely loved the plot twist with Sky's character, because it is exactly what a twist should be - a complete and utter surprise. I didn't see it coming, which is why I was so completely shaken - much like Jameson. It also served to tie up all the loose ends that the book had been accumulating concerning Sky, her past and her reasons for struggling with being separated from her childhood home. It wasn't just being oblivious to the twist that had me excited though - it was Jameson's reaction. Jolene Perry wrote Jameson's confusion and betrayal, mixed with his anger and fear for their future, perfectly. She managed to capture exactly how I imagine I would react, and delivered it through Jameson. I was angry with him for being so cruel to Sky, but also angry with Sky for withholding a secret of such grave consequences when she touted honesty from the beginning. Then I got angry along with Jameson, and eventually was left just feeling hurt and empty. Perry played my emotions like a violin, and I loved every minute of it! She handled Jameson's reaction perfectly, as we truly got to experience every emotion with him.

Night Sky might just be the contemporary book that sways me to read more contemporary YA. I found it refreshing and original, chalk full of the innocence and sweetness of first love. It was a fast read, but it delivered an emotional punch that I won't soon forget!