Early Departures
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-17 08:52:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Justin A. Reynolds
- ISBN：0062748416
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Like Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End and Colleen Hoover's It Ends with Us， Early Departures by Justin A。 Reynolds， author of Opposite of Always， is a powerful and deeply moving YA contemporary novel with a speculative twist about love， death， grief， and friendship。
What if you could bring your best friend back to life--but only for a short time？
Jamal's best friend， Q， doesn't know that he died， and that he's about to die 。 。 。 again。 He doesn't know that Jamal tried to save him。 And that the reason they haven't been friends for two years is because Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents。
But what if Jamal could have a second chance？ A new technology allows Q to be reanimated for a few weeks before he dies 。 。 。 permanently。 And Q's mom is not about to let anyone ruin this miracle by telling Q about his impending death。 So how can Jamal fix everything if he can't tell Q the truth？
Early Departures weaves together loss， grief， friendship， and love to form a wholly unique homage to the bonds that bring people together for life--and beyond。
What if you could bring your best friend back to life--but only for a short time？
Jamal's best friend， Q， doesn't know that he died， and that he's about to die 。 。 。 again。 He doesn't know that Jamal tried to save him。 And that the reason they haven't been friends for two years is because Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents。
But what if Jamal could have a second chance？ A new technology allows Q to be reanimated for a few weeks before he dies 。 。 。 permanently。 And Q's mom is not about to let anyone ruin this miracle by telling Q about his impending death。 So how can Jamal fix everything if he can't tell Q the truth？
Early Departures weaves together loss， grief， friendship， and love to form a wholly unique homage to the bonds that bring people together for life--and beyond。
Reviews
Emily
，
I was listening to this in the audiobook version and it was great。 I loved the way the storyline of being brought back to life was written because it didn’t feel super cliche。 There’s a lot to love about this book — the emotion， the joy， the pain。 I picked this out as a random read， but was genuinely surprised。 Recommend！
Casey
，
This book has a fabulous premise and will attract a good number of readers， but for me， it was WAY too long and barely addressed the issues I wanted to explore。 It was more about the friendship （which is great to see guy friendships in YA lit） and how you would choose to spend your remaining days if you knew they were limited。 Kind of a lighter version of They Both Die in the End。 But I wanted to know more about the ethics of bringing someone back to life， and the negative ramifications as well， This book has a fabulous premise and will attract a good number of readers， but for me， it was WAY too long and barely addressed the issues I wanted to explore。 It was more about the friendship （which is great to see guy friendships in YA lit） and how you would choose to spend your remaining days if you knew they were limited。 Kind of a lighter version of They Both Die in the End。 But I wanted to know more about the ethics of bringing someone back to life， and the negative ramifications as well， since it mostly seemed only positive。 I wished they'd talked more about what this would do to society if it were happening on a larger scale， why Quincy's mom made the decisions that she did， if a person would actually WANT this to happen to them， the choice to tell the "victim" or keep it a secret。。。basically I wanted a deeper look at the morality of the science fiction element instead of just a buddy story。 It was nice， but the for the length of this book， Reynolds could have gone deeper。 。。。more
Emmeline
，
why do letters always make me tear up bro
Emma Grace ReVille
，
super sweet。 i love the characters and the friendship！ every time i sat down to read， i read 100+ pages， its so good and so fulfilling！！！
Emmi （emzcureads）
，
actual rating: 3。5
Azin （kade lover no。1）
，
This sounds bad but i didn't care at all This sounds bad but i didn't care at all 。。。more
Tyra Damm
，
Realistic fiction with a splash of sci-fi。 I’m happy to read a new-to-me YA author and learn a new perspective in grief。
Gabi
，
1。5 but not near enough to give it 2sci-fi because there is a "science" that allows them to "reanimate' their dead friend and bring him back to life - worst zombie book ever because he's not a zombiei get it - what would you do if you got a second chance right？ but it was just soooooo lame 1。5 but not near enough to give it 2sci-fi because there is a "science" that allows them to "reanimate' their dead friend and bring him back to life - worst zombie book ever because he's not a zombiei get it - what would you do if you got a second chance right？ but it was just soooooo lame 。。。more
Zoe
，
This is the first review I've written on Goodreads but I just felt like I had to。 The way that this book absolutely crushed me was totally unexpected。 I think the way it handled grief and death was super real。 I truthfully wasn't expecting it to be as deep and emotional as it was。 I would definitely recommend people read this book， but be warned if you are struggling with grief this book will leave you trying to process a whole bunch of emotions for at least 3-5 business days。 I will definitely This is the first review I've written on Goodreads but I just felt like I had to。 The way that this book absolutely crushed me was totally unexpected。 I think the way it handled grief and death was super real。 I truthfully wasn't expecting it to be as deep and emotional as it was。 I would definitely recommend people read this book， but be warned if you are struggling with grief this book will leave you trying to process a whole bunch of emotions for at least 3-5 business days。 I will definitely be picking up more of his books in the future！ 。。。more
Jenna Vaughn
，
The content of the book was heavy but it still managed to be humorous and light-hearted at times。 There wasn't a real twist or anything but it covered some good topics and was an enjoyable read all the same。 Jamal and Q were childhood buddies。 After the death of Jamal's parents， he has pushed Q away。 When they end up at the same party， they argue。 A few minutes later， Jamal hears a scream and realizes that Q is floundering in the water。 Q drowns and Jamal nearly meets the same fate。 At the hospi The content of the book was heavy but it still managed to be humorous and light-hearted at times。 There wasn't a real twist or anything but it covered some good topics and was an enjoyable read all the same。 Jamal and Q were childhood buddies。 After the death of Jamal's parents， he has pushed Q away。 When they end up at the same party， they argue。 A few minutes later， Jamal hears a scream and realizes that Q is floundering in the water。 Q drowns and Jamal nearly meets the same fate。 At the hospital， When Jamal and Q's mother are offered the unique option to reanimate Q for a short period of time， Jamal is given the chance to redo their last parting。 However he has to overcome his own bitterness and apathy to do so。 This was a great book about friendship， love， grief， and holding on to the moments that matter。 Probably not one I'd read again but I'm glad that I had this opportunity。 。。。more
Yaëlle
，
This book started out as a solid 6 stars。 I really felt that first part。 But then the reanimation started and I don't know， it weirded me out a little bit？ Just the fact that reanimation was possible。 And then I felt like the feelings （which must have been intense， as described at the start of the book） were kind of glossed over in a wa， while that was what I would have wanted to read about。 But still， a solid 4 stars。 This book started out as a solid 6 stars。 I really felt that first part。 But then the reanimation started and I don't know， it weirded me out a little bit？ Just the fact that reanimation was possible。 And then I felt like the feelings （which must have been intense， as described at the start of the book） were kind of glossed over in a wa， while that was what I would have wanted to read about。 But still， a solid 4 stars。 。。。more
Abigail
，
It is not often that I find myself admitting that I was wrong about a book。 But then again it is also not often that I find myself sobbing on the couch at 11pm and ranting to my disinterested little sister about how thoroughly this book wrecked my emotional state。 Early Departures is a book that I thought right off the bat I would hate。 For battle of the books I am required to read twenty different assigned texts and I had been "saving" this one for last （Pushing this one off until the last poss It is not often that I find myself admitting that I was wrong about a book。 But then again it is also not often that I find myself sobbing on the couch at 11pm and ranting to my disinterested little sister about how thoroughly this book wrecked my emotional state。 Early Departures is a book that I thought right off the bat I would hate。 For battle of the books I am required to read twenty different assigned texts and I had been "saving" this one for last （Pushing this one off until the last possible moment）。 Based off of the description I knew that this book would include:1。 the resurrection of a character （which I hate） and 2。 Existential crisis inducing topics （which I hate） For the first hundred pages or so I was upset and bitter about having to read it， and for the last two hundred I was enthralled。 Somehow Justin Reynolds was not only able to create a heart wrenching， soul crushing， panic inducing book， but he was able to make me laugh through it， right up until the tears began in the last thirty some pages。 I would highly recommend this book。 If you don't cry about it though don't talk to me。 。。。more
Sandrine
，
I was expecting this book to be an ugly-crier hearthbreak， but it wasent。 It was death， love， comedie， friendship， family everything。 Justin really made death seem kinda peacful and nice。 It a really good book and was the first in a while that i read winilgly and enjoyed。 Justin really writes in a different way and i really love it， there is just this special feeling off the eords， like they all have a more deeper meening。 Can't wait for more books from this guy。 I was expecting this book to be an ugly-crier hearthbreak， but it wasent。 It was death， love， comedie， friendship， family everything。 Justin really made death seem kinda peacful and nice。 It a really good book and was the first in a while that i read winilgly and enjoyed。 Justin really writes in a different way and i really love it， there is just this special feeling off the eords， like they all have a more deeper meening。 Can't wait for more books from this guy。 。。。more
Mikayla Williams
，
This book is so beautiful。 It teaches you about grief， love， and how every minute counts。 I cried multiple times while reading this。 It was so heartbreaking and you could feel the love and sadness from each character。 A lovely read but I recommend you bring some tissues。
nena
，
4 and a half stars ⭐️This book made me realise that our life is to short and that maybe I’m not enjoying the most of it！！ I figured that we could do whatever we want if we have the right group of people besides us， that give us strength and make us feel like we could change the world in every way！ I cried along the book and I’m so happy that I decided to read this book right in the beginning of this year， Im really glad that I have some Q and Autumn and Whit and Ms B in my life！！！！ I hope everyo 4 and a half stars ⭐️This book made me realise that our life is to short and that maybe I’m not enjoying the most of it！！ I figured that we could do whatever we want if we have the right group of people besides us， that give us strength and make us feel like we could change the world in every way！ I cried along the book and I’m so happy that I decided to read this book right in the beginning of this year， Im really glad that I have some Q and Autumn and Whit and Ms B in my life！！！！ I hope everyone see this book and falls in love with it and the writing as well ❤️🥺 。。。more
Kanar Adil
，
3。5*
Šarlot
，
4*/5 Early departures je nesmírně emotivní kniha， na kterou se člověk nepřipraví。 Celkový nápad mi přišel úžasný a originální a dost jsem nad ním přemýšlela。 To je to， co mi má dobrá kniha přinést - podněty k přemýšlení， nové otázky a myšlenky。 Early departures není kniha o smrti， ale kniha o životě， přátelství a maličkostech， kterých bychom si měli vážit。 Byť se jedná o težké téma， kniha má opravdu krátké kapitoly a autor píše tak dobře， že jsem se až divila， jak rychle mi příběh utíká。 A jak 4*/5 Early departures je nesmírně emotivní kniha， na kterou se člověk nepřipraví。 Celkový nápad mi přišel úžasný a originální a dost jsem nad ním přemýšlela。 To je to， co mi má dobrá kniha přinést - podněty k přemýšlení， nové otázky a myšlenky。 Early departures není kniha o smrti， ale kniha o životě， přátelství a maličkostech， kterých bychom si měli vážit。 Byť se jedná o težké téma， kniha má opravdu krátké kapitoly a autor píše tak dobře， že jsem se až divila， jak rychle mi příběh utíká。 A jak mě z ničeho nic dokázal rozbrečet， aniž bych to cítila přicházet。 Bohužel mi přeci jen něco chybělo， možná to však bylo žánrem， který už tolik nečtu。 Chvíli jsem myslela， že dám knize jen 3， nejvýš 3。5 hvězdičky， ale za ty myšlenky， které přináší si zaslouží nejen vyšší hodnocení， ale také větší pozornost。 。。。more
Alexis
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 What another great book by Justin Reynolds。 I definitely love it more than Opposite of Always which is great to see the author improving and growing。 Honestly my only critique is that I wish Q had more time。 It’s a big book and I wished it was longer！ This book made me actually cry which hardly ever happens with reading。。Spoilers！This is the story of how Jamal and Q are no longer friends because after Jamal lost his parents he blamed Q for everything that happened。 But the night of the big party What another great book by Justin Reynolds。 I definitely love it more than Opposite of Always which is great to see the author improving and growing。 Honestly my only critique is that I wish Q had more time。 It’s a big book and I wished it was longer！ This book made me actually cry which hardly ever happens with reading。。Spoilers！This is the story of how Jamal and Q are no longer friends because after Jamal lost his parents he blamed Q for everything that happened。 But the night of the big party and their big fight Q goes into the water to save a girl and ends by drowning himself。 Jamal tries to save him but is too late。 While at the hospital these people offer to bring Q back from the dead temporarily。 While awake Q’s mom doesn’t want to let him know but Jamal feels like he has to tell him。 After they make up and become friends again Q has a bad episode and discovers how he is going to die in a few short days。 So before he dies Jamal takes Q to meet his favorite comedian and is able to go on stage and perform live for everyone。 。This story grips you the whole time and finding out why Q was saved was such a great plot twist。 I also loved how Q was a comedian and the boys had a podcast together。 The audiobook is great for this book as well。 。。。more
A is for Ash
，
With its beautiful writing， orignal metaphors and heartfelt monologues/conversations， this book is quite something to read。 I absolutely loved Jamal’s journey and his development personally and with his relationships with other characters。
Betty༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
，
“The truth is you can never truly make amends for the hurt you cause; you apologize， you try to atone， at best the scars lighten but they don't disappear。You live with the pain that you pained someone。”-- 3。5 stars--Truly a heartbreaking story。 There were times where I got a bit bored and didn't really care much about what was going on in the story， however， I still really enjoyed it。 The book deals a lot with grief and loss which is a pretty heavy topic therefore there were times when I got tea “The truth is you can never truly make amends for the hurt you cause; you apologize， you try to atone， at best the scars lighten but they don't disappear。You live with the pain that you pained someone。”-- 3。5 stars--Truly a heartbreaking story。 There were times where I got a bit bored and didn't really care much about what was going on in the story， however， I still really enjoyed it。 The book deals a lot with grief and loss which is a pretty heavy topic therefore there were times when I got teared up。 I could feel the emotions， you know？ I could empathize with the characters， especially the main character Jamal。 The general plot of the book felt really unique too。 The idea of reanimating someone who died and getting a chance to say goodbye to them one last time。 It was just really interesting， it felt like something we would have in the near future。 I guess the main reason I gave this book 3。5 stars and not 4 or 5 is that I've been reading a lot of books talking about grief and loss of someone you loved and I don't think I'm in the mood for reading anymore books like that lol。 All that said， I felt lots of emotions reading this book and I think that it deserves more hype。 。。。more
malaika ♡
，
3。5/5 stars。 Gosh， l loved this book。 It was hard hitting and had me shedding a few tears in the very beginning， and multiple times after that。 The reality of the situation sunk in gradually and had pulled at all my heartstrings by the time Q’s death was around the corner。 The book left me with so many questions about the morality of the situation and whether or not there was any right or wrong choices。 To reanimate or not to reanimate？ To tell the victim and live with that guilt or to live with 3。5/5 stars。 Gosh， l loved this book。 It was hard hitting and had me shedding a few tears in the very beginning， and multiple times after that。 The reality of the situation sunk in gradually and had pulled at all my heartstrings by the time Q’s death was around the corner。 The book left me with so many questions about the morality of the situation and whether or not there was any right or wrong choices。 To reanimate or not to reanimate？ To tell the victim and live with that guilt or to live with the guilt that comes with keeping it a secret？ To set a new time of death or let nature take its course？ There were hundreds of questions to contemplate and it made the read interesting once you realised just how vast and wide the grey area between right and wrong could be。 Though I truly loved this book and would definitely recommend it， I did find the main character Jamal to be quite irritating（？）。 It was painful to witness what his pain turned him into。 He was selfish， and consumed with grief， and he hurt everyone around him because of it。 While I don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing about the book， I do think that it made the read more difficult。 There’s nothing like reading from the perspective of a person who’s done， and continues to do， shitty things despite trying their hardest to make things right。 I mean that in the absolute best way possible。 Jamal was struggling， and he was hurting so many people， and that made him into a character that was hard to witness but easy to understand。 He was so… human。 It gave him a certain level of depth that’s hard to achieve。 Q and Jamal’s friendship was something I wanted to explore more and read more about。 It was complicated， and messy and beautiful。 The book could’ve done with more flashbacks and conversation about what made them break。 The book also could’ve had more tension and conversation between them by the time both of them were putting effort into bringing themselves back together （though I understand that time was limited and it made sense that there was a lot of things left undone and a lot of words left unsaid）。 I wanted them to have more time but their time had run out， and it helped solidify the message that time， and life， are never guaranteed。 Ending the book with one of their videos was the perfect thing to do because it showed their relationship in a different， almost nostalgic light。 It made the whole story hit home。 I did have some issues with most of the characters within the story。 For example， Jamal’s girlfriend Autumn became increasingly hard to deal with and her and Jamal’s dynamic was far from perfect。 In the end I concluded that the story wasn’t about her so it didn’t actually matter。 After coming to that conclusion I realised that a lot of the dynamics were slightly off between most of the characters and that even though it made it more difficult to read， it was also a great reflection of reality and that made the whole scenario seem more real。 I understood the slight messiness of the relationships and the people because it was a great reflection of real life。 I wasn’t a big fan of how things ended， specifically the trip to New York and the beach scene， but by then I had already been on an emotional rollercoaster and I will admit that it was interesting to go with the characters from frenzied panic to calm before the inevitable end。 I felt Jamal’s pain in the beginning， I understood his frenzy in the middle， and I felt his calm with him when it was over。 By the end life was moving forward， whether we were ready for it or not， and it made for a beautiful transition to the last page。 We were witnessing a small part of a huge life and even smaller parts of many other lives connected to it。 There was a whole life before that we only saw parts of， and there was a whole life after that we got to see a preview into。 The week or so we spent with our main character was exactly that。 A week。 And it was a week worth reading about。 。。。more
Jamie Lyn Smith
，
Another YA book that is a fantastic sci-fi read for adults。 When Jamal’s estranged best friend Q dies in a drowning accident， Q’s heartbroken mother arranges for Q to be “reanimated” so that they have time to say goodbye-- and Jamal must try to make amends。
dona
，
3，5 ⭐As personagens são muito cativantes e a história， apesar de lidar com algo irreal （a reanimação dos mortos） parece completamente plausível por conta das reações orgânicas das personagens frente aos acontecimentos。"That feeling you've just had a profound。 intimate moment with a group of people and you're not ready to go your separate ways。And everything feels like deep feels， if that makes sense。Like everything is super cold or super hot or super tiring ou super frustrating or super funny be 3，5 ⭐As personagens são muito cativantes e a história， apesar de lidar com algo irreal （a reanimação dos mortos） parece completamente plausível por conta das reações orgânicas das personagens frente aos acontecimentos。"That feeling you've just had a profound。 intimate moment with a group of people and you're not ready to go your separate ways。And everything feels like deep feels， if that makes sense。Like everything is super cold or super hot or super tiring ou super frustrating or super funny because we've lodt all of our filters and barriers and cushions and buffers and we're just straight feelings， no chaser。" 。。。more
mira
，
this book was the perfect mix of heavy and lighthearted。 justin a。 reynolds did an amazing job of balancing all the aspects of this book and making it just sad enough but also not too sad。 it still wrecked me a bit but i loved it nonetheless。 i also loved autumn and she carried the entire novel。
Victoria Harring
，
This book has incredible characters and was an amazing idea for a novel。 Though this book has left me with some questions about some details and some writing choices the author has made。
Kirsten
，
4，5*Pfoe ik weet niet zo goed hoe ik dit boek moet omschrijven。 Allereerst wil ik zeggen dat ik dit boek beter vond dan zijn voorgaande boek。 Dat boek was ook zeker niet slecht maar dit boek had iets wat het beter maakte。 Ik vond het een vrij heftig boek daarom heb ik er ook wat langer over gedaan。 In dit boek staat rouwverwerking centraal。 En heel eerlijk ben ik daar nog steeds mee bezig。 Drie jaar terug overleed mijn oma onverwacht en nog steeds heb ik moeite met nummers die op haar begrafenis 4，5*Pfoe ik weet niet zo goed hoe ik dit boek moet omschrijven。 Allereerst wil ik zeggen dat ik dit boek beter vond dan zijn voorgaande boek。 Dat boek was ook zeker niet slecht maar dit boek had iets wat het beter maakte。 Ik vond het een vrij heftig boek daarom heb ik er ook wat langer over gedaan。 In dit boek staat rouwverwerking centraal。 En heel eerlijk ben ik daar nog steeds mee bezig。 Drie jaar terug overleed mijn oma onverwacht en nog steeds heb ik moeite met nummers die op haar begrafenis te horen waren。 Elk jaar gaat het verwerken beter maar ik ben er nog steeds mee bezig。 Daarom raakte dit boek mij best wel， het bracht een stukje herkenbaarheid mee。 Hier en daar vond ik sommige stukjes nietszeggend voor de rest van het verhaal。 Hierdoor verloor het soms even zijn charme。 Al met al vond ik dit een mooi boek en kan ik het aan iedereen aanraden！ 。。。more
Emily Cyr
，
Okay so this book was fine， the message was nice and all so I enjoyed that part。 Plus the premise of the book was pretty original。 But I did not care for the romance between Jamal and Autumn。 She seemed to have an opinion on a lot of stuff that really had nothing to do with her or be mad at Jamal for things he couldn’t really control。 I also didn’t exactly care for the way Jamal was portrayed when grieving his parents。 I don’t know how to explain it better but it just rubbed me wrong。 Lastly， th Okay so this book was fine， the message was nice and all so I enjoyed that part。 Plus the premise of the book was pretty original。 But I did not care for the romance between Jamal and Autumn。 She seemed to have an opinion on a lot of stuff that really had nothing to do with her or be mad at Jamal for things he couldn’t really control。 I also didn’t exactly care for the way Jamal was portrayed when grieving his parents。 I don’t know how to explain it better but it just rubbed me wrong。 Lastly， the audible narration was not the best and definitely would’ve been so much better with a full cast。 。。。more
Rene Paul
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I loved the banter between j and q。 That alone made it worth reading。I didn't like how predictable the ending was。 The visit to the center at the beginning gave me eerie vibes that I loved， I would have liked to see more conflict with the center but they were so tame and boooring。 I guess I went into it thinking there would be mystery but it was actually just a character driven story。One of the reviews on the back of the book said this was like a "choose your own adventure" twist but I don't get I loved the banter between j and q。 That alone made it worth reading。I didn't like how predictable the ending was。 The visit to the center at the beginning gave me eerie vibes that I loved， I would have liked to see more conflict with the center but they were so tame and boooring。 I guess I went into it thinking there would be mystery but it was actually just a character driven story。One of the reviews on the back of the book said this was like a "choose your own adventure" twist but I don't get that at all？？ Maybe I'm missing something 。。。more
sana
，
4。25
Parker Garlough
，
Maybe I'm just no longer interested in most YA stuff， but something about the somewhat-informal， often-goofy style wasn't super enjoyable for me， and the plot was a little cliche。 The last 60 or so pages somewhat salvaged the book， though。 Maybe I'm just no longer interested in most YA stuff， but something about the somewhat-informal， often-goofy style wasn't super enjoyable for me， and the plot was a little cliche。 The last 60 or so pages somewhat salvaged the book， though。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Early Departures
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Early Departures&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Early Departures&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0