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.
How do you make up for lost time when you can’t tell the truth about how little is left?
- A Complicated Friendship: Jamal and Q were once inseparable, but a tragic accident and a terrible secret tore them apart. Now they have one last chance to fix their broken brotherhood.
- Grief and Forgiveness: Jamal is still reeling from the loss of his parents, and he blames Q. Can he learn to forgive his best friend—and himself—before it’s too late?
- High-Stakes Sci-Fi: A controversial new technology can bring Q back to life, but only for a few weeks. And the biggest rule? He can never know the truth.
- Laugh-Through-Your-Tears Humor: Filled with the witty banter and heart that made Justin A. Reynolds a fan favorite, this story balances devastating emotional punches with genuine laugh-out-loud moments.
