Book Review: When The Sky Fell On Splendor by Emily Henry

Title: When The Sky Fell On Splendor
Author: Emily Henry
Release Date: March 12, 2019
Pages: 384
Format: ARC Paperback
Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary/Sci-Fi

       

Almost everyone in the small town of Splendor, Ohio, was affected when the local steel mill exploded. If you weren’t a casualty of the accident yourself, chances are a loved one was. That’s the case for seventeen-year-old Franny, who, five years after the explosion, still has to stand by and do nothing as her brother lies in a coma. In the wake of the tragedy, Franny found solace in a group of friends whose experiences mirrored her own. The group calls themselves The Ordinary, and they spend their free time investigating local ghost stories and legends, filming their exploits for their small following of YouTube fans. It’s silly, it’s fun, and it keeps them from dwelling on the sadness that surrounds them. Until one evening, when the strange and dangerous thing they film isn’t fiction–it’s a bright light, something massive hurdling toward them from the sky. And when it crashes and the teens go to investigate…everything changes.

Man, if you love Stranger Things or anything 80's that highlights friendships, great dialogue, small towns, and science fiction, this book is made for you. I'd venture to say it's made for us all. I appreciate when a book is fun but also makes me think and feel and this has heart and adventure. 

I loved every single one of the gang - we've got Franny, our narrator, and overall badass; Levi, funny and a filmmaker; there's Remy, who is selfless and is known as Handsome Remy (and come on, "handsome" is part of his nickname); Arthur, Franny's brother, headstrong as much as he is loveable; Nick, who is the caring but mysterious type; and Sofia, who is strong and bold.

From the moment the story begins, I immediately knew these characters. They're all from Splendor, a town that has experienced trauma so huge, it has affected them all in deep and serious ways. Instead of talking about it, they keep secrets and it makes the love and friendship between the five that much more interesting, complex, and heartfelt. When a huge piece of metal comes crashing out of the sky, they all work together to figure out the mystery behind the eerie things happening to them - and it's soon enough that they find that maybe their notions of what is bad and good gets turned upside down.

There are many twists and turns that lead to the final reveal, culminating in a satisfying ending. It's also a story that makes you feel less alone in this world because it's honest about what we feel and go through and how that truly makes us human. This was such an enjoyable story. Emily Henry is so talented and I can't wait until you all can read it too. 

Happy reading!