180 Seconds by Jessica Park Review

180 Seconds by Jessica Park- Read May 7-8th 2017

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚 (more like 10 out of 5) 

"Those one hundred and eighty seconds with Esben somehow threw me into a whirlwind. Either I get slammed to the ground by the force or I soar."  

It's not everyday that I adore a book from the first page of it but I became utterly hooked to this book from the very first page. There was something about Simon and Allison's relationship in the first chapter that made me adore them so much. I did not know too much going into this book. I knew that Allison was a college student who had been adopted at the age of sixteen. That interested me so much because one I had never read a book with a character that had been adopted at such a late age and was very interested to see what would happen. Her interactions with Simon (her adopted father) are so beautiful and I adored them immensely as characters. 

This is the story of a girl named Allison who has major social anxieties caused by her life in the foster care system. She has a hard time trusting anyone including her foster father, a man that really is the best parent for her. She is in her junior year of college. Shortly into the novel she meets this guy named Esben, who is popular around campus and she does not realize why. After participating in a social experiment with him, she realizes that maybe they might have some sort of connection. With the encouragement of her best and oldest friend, Steff, Allison navigates this friendship with Esben as the become closer. It is a story that focuses on her relationships with others and the trust that she needs to have with them and herself. 

I thought it was interesting to see the focus on internet presence and also just social networking in general. I had never read a book before that focused on this aspect so much that was as good as this. It really hooked me in and would not let me go. I should have never started reading this at 10:30 at night because I literally kept reading it into the early hours of the morning so I could finish it. It's just that great. Each of the characters and relationships in this novel were so genuine and so relatable, that I could not get enough of them. Allison grows a lot throughout the novel and it was a joy to see her learn about herself and others. Simon was the funniest character in the novel and I am so glad we got to see his relationship with Allison throughout. Esben was such a sweetheart and had the heart of gold. Steff is a great addition to this story and I just could not get enough of her personality. She is the best friend that Allison could want and an amazing girl. 

All and all I can say without a doubt that this is my favorite book that I have read so far this year. I loved every single character and the story as a whole. Esben's use of social media as a way of helping people is inspiring and I could only wish that more people would use it for that use instead of in horrible ways. This has become one of my favorite books ever and I can honestly say that I am so happy that I spent the time to read this book. It was a real wonderful story. 

"He shifts the box to rest on his hip, freeing up a hand. His voice elevates. 'Grab everything you can and run! Only take what you need! Run like the wind!' He yanks a small duffel from the car and dashes to the sidewalk, calling out over his shoulder, 'Come on, Allison! There's no time to waste!' " - The amazing Simon. God I loved him so much. 

I will be buying this book now. 

I received this book for free for an honest review.