Book Review: When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

Danny has lost the last of his family. His sister is alive, but is off in China discovering her roots. His father has been gone for a few years, and his mother just lost her long battle with cancer, three weeks from his high school graduation. Everything feels empty to him, from relationships to his own house. His ex-girlfriend is back in town, and he doesn't know how to face her, and is afraid that she will once again break his heart.

It's a letter from a girl in Tokyo that gets him thinking. His mother left some things in the family's apartment that need to be taken care of. She also mentions some things he's never heard of: a tea house, a temple and some unused medications.

It doesn't take much and he is on a flight across the ocean. He hopes that he can find answers across the sea, and find out why his mom couldn't hold on until his graduation, and maybe learn something about her that he never knew.

Be sure to have your tissues ready as you read When You Were Here. Danny is really a lost boy at the beginning of the book, despite being done with high school. His past really strains his present relationships, including with his elusive ex-girlfriend Holland. His present situation is peppered with stories from his past, so that you get to know Holland and his mom.

Fans of Sarah Dessen, Sara Zarr and Gayle Foreman's books will want to check out When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney.

I'll see you @ the library!
Katie