Right Here, Right Now

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW is an emotional YA contemporary romance about loss, grief, and love. The story is based on the theory of multiverses and the way that a single moment in time can split into different possibilities. In this story, Elise is driving a car in a rush and has a split second to make a decision with an oncoming garbage truck. She speeds up, so the possibilities branch to the left and to the right, where she makes it around the other car in time - or she doesn't. The story then follows Anna, her best friend, and Liam, her cousin, in the aftermath of both possibilities.

This was quite an emotional read about grief, loss, and the people left behind. While the story is predicated on what happened to Elise, Anna and Liam are themselves particles seemingly drawn together in endless patterns. The outcome is anything but certain, especially with the way they have coped with loss, life, and the decisions they have had to make. Anna and Liam often feel like two sides of a coin with the parallels between them, and as such, their interactions felt explosive in both possibilities.

The premise of the story was endlessly intriguing, and one that anyone who has suffered loss will understand - the what if. The paths that life takes are constantly altered by chance branches in life - small things as well as big things. While this is a big event, the possibilities sometimes feel far apart and other times, close together, with a feeling that people who are meant to be in your life will be. Themes around the weight of expectations, coping with grief/loss, friendship, caution vs taking chances, and love were all really thought-provoking.

As a small thing, the two possibilities are denoted by whether they are the option to the left or right at the top of each chapter. They sometimes could become easy to jumble in my mind, but I think it would work best if you read it in relatively fewer sittings. They were set apart by what happened with Elise, so it was typically readily apparent which possibility the reader is in. The ending introduces more uncertainty and will work best for readers who want a story that will keep you thinking and theorizing after the last page is turned.

Overall, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW is a moving story of grief, possibilities, and all the chances and choices in life. Recommend for readers looking for something surprising and emotional.