The Impossibility of Us
Katy Upperman
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: July 31st 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

The last thing Elise wants is to start her senior year in a new town. But after her brother’s death in Afghanistan, she and her mother move from San Francisco to a sleepy coastal village.

When Elise meets Mati, they quickly discover how much they have in common. Mati is new to town too, visiting the U.S. with his family. Over the course of the summer, their relationship begins to blossom, and what starts out as a friendship becomes so much more.

But as Elise and Mati grow closer, her family becomes more and more uncomfortable with their relationship, and their concerns all center on one fact—Mati is Afghan.

Beautifully written, utterly compelling, and ultimately hopeful, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US asks—how brave can you be when your relationship is questioned by everyone you love?

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A Remarkably Timeless, Touching and Achingly Beautiful Tale

About Family, Friendship, Love, Acceptance and Hope

Katy Upperman’s debut novel, Kissing Max Holden, was one of my Top Ten Favorite Reads in 2017. It was deeply moving, deliciously swoony and so full of heart. I couldn’t wait to read The Impossibility of Us, and now that I have, I can honestly say that I’m a forever fan of Upperman’s gorgeous writing — breathtakingly emotional, amazingly realistic, and wonderfully affecting.

To say that I loved this book is an understatement. The Impossibility of Us undeniably captured my heart, completely consumed my thoughts, and had me wiping away my tears... many many tears. (It was really bad too cause I read most of the book while I was at work so I had to pretend I was sneezing and having allergies… that was embarrassingly not fun, but I just could not stop reading… it was that good!!). Even now, I’m still thinking about Elise and Mati and everything that happened. I think I even dreamed about them once during the weekend. This beautiful story just made me FEEL so much and the FEELS were absolutely the worst and the best!

I loved the heart melting slow burn and forbidden romance. Elise and Mati had this complicated and impossible situation to deal with, but they fit so well together that I couldn’t help but root for them. Not to mention, the unimaginable attraction between them was so swoony and intense it had me holding my breath the entire time. I could FEEL their anticipation and burning desire to be with each other. Every time they were apart, I felt just as uneasy and anxious as they did. It certainly made me reminisce the times I felt that way during my teenage years and it was a really good nostalgic feeling. I can’t say this enough — Upperman, without a doubt, knows how to create sweet romantic relationships that are not only swoontastic, but also genuine and so relatable.

As I’ve already mentioned, I love Upperman’s gorgeous writing. It’s incredibly touching, compelling, and heartfelt. The FEELS in this book overwhelmed and completely wrecked me, but in the loveliest ways possible. Upperman simply takes my breath away with her beautiful words. She writes with so much emotion and realness it’s sometimes painful, but it’s also an absolute delight getting sucked into her stories that I honestly cannot get enough.

I also really enjoyed the alternating POVs, but I have to admit… I’m hopelessly in love with Mati’s chapters. They’re written in creative poetic verses and were some of favorite parts of this book that I’ve actually reread some of them quite a few times just so I can experience the FEELS again.

The plot was engaging, insightful, and realistic. I loved how Upperman perfectly balanced the good and the bad, the ups and downs, and the ugliness and the beauty of what it truly means to be human. The racial tension, harassment, hatred, and utter lack of compassion was terribly upsetting. Some dialogues and scenes even angered me while other circumstances had me in tears. My heart hurt and felt so heavy and at times it was too much… But, aside from  all the tears and aches, Upperman also included plenty of HEART and uplifting moments that will make you smile, give you hope, and fill you with love. And that’s what I love most about Upperman’s stories.

The characters were really great. Elise was such an easy character to like. She’s smart, caring, open-minded, and brave. I admired her strength for always trying to be more understanding and standing up for herself and her own beliefs. Then there’s sweet Mati. He’s artistic, kind, gentle, and compassionate. Mati can also be playful and funny. He just had this beautiful and warm personality that you can’t help but fall for him. I certainly did and swooned so much.

Adored the side characters too like Ryan, Xavier, and Mati’s Baba. They were all charming and lovable. Janie, Elise’s niece, and Bambi, Elise’s dog, were so cute and provided some lighthearted fun moments. I really did like all the characters in this book and rooted for them all to have happy endings… yes even the adults who infuriated me at times. These characters just felt so real to me that I sympathized and cared about them as if they were my close friends.

Whew!! This review went longer than I expected, but in short, this book is simply wonderful. With writing that is utterly captivating, an emotionally engaging plot, and complex but relatable characters, Upperman created a remarkably timeless, touching,  and achingly beautiful story about family, friendship, love, and acceptance. This book may have shattered my heart quite a few times, but it also pieced it back together with so much warmth, happiness, and hope reminding me that while there’s so much negativity in this world, there are plenty of good and kindness. Just remember — “Don’t walk through life blind.”  

If you love walks on the beach, cookies, adorable dogs, to die for kisses, and stories that will keep you up late at night smiling like a dork, clutching your heart, crying till your eyes hurt and swooning over and over, then this book is absolutely perfect for you.

Hands down one of the BEST books I’ve read in 2018! 

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher, Swoon Reads, and Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest and fair review. All thoughts, opinions, tears and swoons are my own.

There are so many amazing quotes in this book and I highlighted my kindle like crazy.  Here are some of them… okay actually maybe like almost half of them cause I just couldn’t choose, but Be Warned!! — They do spoil some of the swoons and fun, so if you don’t want that, then keep scrolling down for the giveaway.

“Lissy, with that attitude, you’ll never find love.”

“I don’t want to find love — I want it to find me. I want it to crash into me. Knock me down. Seize me.”

“Okay, now I’m uncomfortable. But like, wonderfully, gloriously, amazingly uncomfortable.”

“I feel his stare, physically in the depths of me. I feel it in the way my flesh tingles and my heart skips and my cheeks warm.”

“They’re issues rooted in fear, in grief, but that doesn’t make them any less offensive.”

“I believe two people, two souls, can know each other instantaneously, and recognize how each longs to spend a lifetime devoted to the other. Like when you hear a song and feel its lyrics profoundly, as if they were inscribed on your heart and yours alone. It’s a connection that eludes explanation, and defies logic. It seems impossible, until it happens.”

“It’s innocent, his touch, and it’s everything but; stirring and sensual and suggestive. My breath comes rapidly and I’m hot everywhere, tingling from the roots of my hair to the soles of my feet.”

“I absolutely do not understand — will never understand how he can be so rational, so selfless, so composed in the face of gross inequality — I can appreciate how different his experience is from mine. I’ve never walked in his shoes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t stroll beside him. That doesn’t mean I can’t learn from his perspective and offer support in all the ways I know how.”

“We kiss for eternies, and oh God, it’s perfect. The sort of perfect I’m not likely to forget. The sort of perfect no other boy will live up to in a lifetime of kisses.”

“It was hard, but all the challenges, all the pain? Worth it. I guess that’s my point: Somtimes you have to trudge through heartache to figure out which path to take.”

“Whenever I think of him, for the rest of my life, my heart will hurt. Neither time nor distance will change that. You won’t either. I love him and I don’t care if you approve. I will never care if you approve.”

“I don’t have to stop modeling acceptance. I don’t have to stop believing that someday, she’ll come around.”

Katy Upperman is a graduate of Washington State University, a former elementary school teacher, and an insatiable reader. When not writing for young adults, Katy can be found whipping up batches of chocolate chip cookies or exploring the country with her husband and daughter. KISSING MAX HOLDEN is her debut novel; her sophomore novel, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US, will be available summer, 2018.

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I really hope you enjoyed reading my review and have the chance to meet Elise and Mati and fall in love with their beautiful story.

Have you read this book or any of Upperman’s novels? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.