You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon

*Spoiler free*

I went in to this book with no expectations. I adored Our Year Of Maybe and fell in love with the writing. I was curious to see what I would think of this one. I don’t think I would have picked up this book if I hadn’t loved the OYOM as much as I did, but I wanted to give it a shot since the other book surprised me! Trigger warnings: suicidal ideation, self-harm.

This book surprised me as well. It’s a brutally honest story of the messy realities of life. It was so true and so real and so gripping. Adina and Tovah might not have been perfect, but they were interesting. And I’m really glad I got to learn more about them and be inside their heads.

I’m not sure how Solomon managed to pack so many lessons in this book. There were so many and they all managed to be well developed. It didn’t seem like they were just thrown in there for an interesting sounding line, it was what the characters were learning and what they were going through. It was honest to the story. I saw parts of myself in Tovah that I’ve never seen so plainly before. There were lines in this book that were so similar to actual thoughts that I’ve had. I saw myself in her insecurities and her thought processes.

This book utilized the two POVs so well. Each sister is going throw a massive upheaval in their lives. The are both dealing with so much pain. And they both feel like the other has everything they could ever want. I liked seeing the contrast between what the sisters thought was going on with each other and what was actually going on since it was so different. Neither of them were perfect or secure in their lives and both of them needed to change things.

While the writing didn’t stun me as much as it did with Our Year Of Maybe, I did like seeing how much it has improved between the books. And while the writing was still magnificent, Solomon has gotten so much better. I’m really looking forward to her next books. She is going to stun everybody.

I really liked how this book focused on the imperfections of life. And how things are messy and complicated and not always figured out. There were parts that broke my heart at how raw and emotional they were. This book doesn’t try to be perfect. It tires to reflect real life.

It was amazing to see Adina and Tovah go through their journey. Their character development was powerful. I think they are both amazing people, on their way to do amazing things. Sure, they might hit a few bumps in the roads, but they have the support they need to get through it. I would like to read a spinoff, but I might just prefer to pretend they live happy and fulfilling lives haha.

I’m looking forward to reading whatever Solomon writes next. I think her writing style could take any subject and turn it into something magnificent and something I would really enjoy reading. Yes, I definitely, definitely, recommend giving her books a shot. They are so, so underrated and so amazing!

You can add You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone on Goodreads and order a copy of your own!

Thank you for reading!