Book Review: Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark

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Finding Mr. Brightside
Author: Jay Clark
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: March 24th 2015
Review Source: Henry Holt and Co.

Abram and Juliette know each other. They’ve lived down the street from each other their whole lives. But they don’t really know each other—at least, not until Juliette’s mom and Abram’s dad have a torrid affair that culminates in a deadly car crash. Sharing the same subdivision is uncomfortable, to say the least. They don’t speak.

Fast-forward to the neighborhood pharmacy, a few months later. Abram decides to say hello. Then he decides to invite her to Taco Bell. To her surprise as well as his, she agrees. And the real love story begins.

Finding Mr. Brightside is one unique and awkward, yet heart warming story. This is the story of Abram and Juliette. The story of how one tragedy broke these individuals families apart and eventually brought the two of them together.

Unique and awkward is to say the least. Juliette’s mother and Abram’s father had an affair. During one of their secret encounters, they both died in a car accident. This was awkward for Juliette and Abram since they both attend the same school. Worst, they are neighbors. They try really hard to avoid each other.

During a run to their local pharmacy, the two run into each other and discover they are both dealing with depression. As the days go by, the two become acquainted. They both help each other to cope with their loss.

I found the Finding Mr. Brightside interesting enough to finish. It was nice to learn that they both found happiness within themselves. Abram learns to take control of his life with the help of Juliette and vise-versa. They both learned how to live again. I do think the cover is misleading. When I first saw the cover, I thought this would be a happy and fluffy story. Which I found interesting to discover the story is dark and for mature young adults. Nonetheless, I do recommend this book.