3/5 stars
This is one of those books where I really liked the concept, but I didn't really like the book's execution as much. I thought it was a more supernatural or science-fiction type of book, but that was not the case.
Spoilers ahead: The book kicks off with Chris tripping and breaking his nose. This leads to his mother finding out that he's been using inhalants. From there, the story takes us through two different timelines. One in which he lies and stays in Ohio. The other is where he goes to California to stay with his dad and go to a rehabilitation program.
In the timeline in which he goes to see his father, we see him go through a rocky relationship with his father due to his decision to leave the family. He has to follow a set of rules in order to be able to go to college and get his college paid for. His dad wants him there in order to attend his wedding. We see Chris start a relationship with Swift, which his father disapproves of.
On the other hand, we see everything going normally until his two best friends start dating. We see a possible love triangle (corner) as there are some rather weird interactions between him and Matt. He continues on as a third wheel. However, Matt appears to be a one-dimensional love interest, which made me uninterested in what happened in this timeline.
As the book continues, we see the timelines merge into one. Also, his father finally approves of his relationship with Swift. He also manages to work his friendship problems out as well. In a time jump, we also see him go to college and get a roommate. Overall, I was a little disappointed with the ending. I was expecting Chris to face more real consequences. This is not the case, as we see him working everything out. In terms of the rest of the book, there were certain parts that were confusing, especially with the switch between timelines. There are certain details that you definitely have to read multiple times in order to not miss them. Due to this, I wasn't sure whether to rate this book 2.5 or 3 stars. I'll definitely have to come back to this book.
