Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Boy tries to stop girl's death in romantic time-travel tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
When OPPOSITE OF ALWAYS begins, high school senior Jack King is infatuated with his best friend's girl. He's a sweet, nerdy kid who's loyal to both of them; he'll never act on his feelings. Then Jack meets Kate, and they fall in love. But their relationship is doomed. Kate has sickle cell anemia. (In people with this disease, the red blood cells are rigid and sticky, and are shaped like sickles. The cells are unable to carry enough oxygen.) Kate dies. Jack collapses and is transported back in time to the night he and Kate met. He finds himself in this loop again and again, trying different ways to get Kate the expensive experimental treatment that might save her life or to spend more quality time with her before she dies. In his desperate attempts to save Kate, can he stay true to his ethics and his other friendships?
Is It Any Good?
This bittersweet, poetic time-traveling teen romance shows a boy struggling to prevent his girlfriend's death from serious illness. Inspired by the death of a close friend, author Justin A. Reynolds has written an intriguing fantasy about the possibility of a do-over, a chance to go back in time and do something -- anything -- to bring a loved one back to life. Opposite of Always benefits from this emotional foundation. It's easy to empathize with Jack's feelings, from his infatuation with his best friend's girl, Jillian, to his respect for his parents, to his love for Kate and his desperation not to lose her.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how a life-threatening illness, sickle cell anemia, is portrayed in Opposite of Always. Why do you think loves stories with ill characters are so popular? Do you know any kids with serious conditions? How does it affect their lives?
Once Jack decides that saving Kate is his greatest priority, he's willing to sacrifice some of his values to help her. What do you think about Jack's decisions? Do you like stories that explore hard moral choices? Which are some of your favorites?
The author, Justin A. Reynolds, wrote Opposite of Always after a friend died. If you've lost someone -- a pet, grandparent, parent, or friend -- what did you do to start to feel better?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date : March 4, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 464
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate