I adored how open hearted this book was. It’s a snapshot into a 17 year old boys life, Neon, in those dying embers of youth, teetering on the edge of adulthood. He has a supportive family, and a wide community, and he’s building up to that moment of sleeping with his girlfriend, Aria, for the very first time. Told in reverse, we go from a moment of young bathroom panic, all the way back to their very first meeting, and experience all of the nerves and open conversations along the way.

I loved how healthy the family dynamics are, and its sex positive stance. It truly focuses in on first love, connection, and respect, and that’s such a beautiful thing to see in a book aimed at the YA age range. It’s a small book, but it covers a lot of ground, with so much care and heart.

I think this is a very special book, the likes of which we don’t tend to see. There’s a beautiful tenderness to its normality, it’s capturing of this boys life, yet it’s not cloying or overly sentimental - it simply is. It helps that the book is written in such a wonderful lyrical style too. A true gem.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Jason Reynolds is such a clever author - his writing is relatable and dynamic, perfect for the modern children's/YA audience, and his plotting is genius. Neon is completely down-to-earth and understandable character, and while we never hear from Aria, she is also drawn in a realistic way. This book needs to be read by every teenage boy, and really should be read by every man! And girls should read it to know what a truely respectful and equal relationship can be.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this ARC.

I'm not a huge YA novel fan but I really enjoyed this book.

The full review is on goodreads but I would definitely recommend!

Reynolds delivers again with this delightful story about love, friendship and family. As he says himself in his acknowledgements, black boys deserve love stories too, and it was such a pleasure to discover this one. Most YA books by and about black people centre on trauma, and importantly so because they are placing the realities of the black experience front and centre so that we readers cannot look away. But it's also nice to see stories by and about black people who are living their best lives and thriving, something that we could find ourselves taking for granted in stories about predominantly white characters.

Reynolds starts Neon's story 24 seconds before he is to have sex for the first time. He then takes us back 24 minutes, hours, days, and weeks to when he first met his girlfriend. By doing this we get to invest ourselves in their relationship more intensely because we know it's safe. There's never any peril, we can simply live with these wonderful characters as they go about their lives. Neon is a great teenage protagonist; he's realistically awkward, and he's anxious about his body, but he's also the perfect role model for young teen boys because he's not got a toxic bone in his body.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber&Faber for the digital ARC. I can't wait to use this book in school library sessions next year.

A YA story that can be appreciated by adults too as it's a gripping and complex story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would have liked to read similar books when I was 17.
Excellent storytelling, emotionally charged, well plotted.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a charming and important book for teens, very positive and supportive in the topic and how it is handled, a wonderful story about family, friends, relationships, and more.

This was my first Jason Reynolds novel and I thought it was very cute. I loved Neon and Aria and the respect they have for each other. They are lovers but they are also friends and they treat each other as such too. I loved the characters of Nat, Gammy and Denzel Jeremy Washington, you could tell they are such integral parts of Neon's family life.

There was something about the emotional openness of the characters that felt very raw and something that needs protecting. I don't think this is the norm, I don't think 17-year olds discuss their first time with their parents beforehand, I don't think 17-year old boys are okay with being a virgin and wanting to take it slow, admitting they are nervous - but it would be wonderful if it was the norm! There is a lot of pressure on young people and it would be nice if they could rely on the guidance of those around them to figure things out.

Do I think that two 17-year olds would wait 2 years before deciding to "go all the way"? Probably not. 2 years of dating is a very long time. But I wonder if this is more about this way American society likes to think that their teenager are not sexually active :)

I would definitely read this author again and I am intrigued what non-romance novels he writes.

I thought this book was amazing and it really had me hooked. The author's unique approach allowed the writing to be very captivating. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a new read.

Thank you for approving me to read this book. This is my first novel by Jason Reynolds and I enjoyed his writing style, it was easy to read and get absorbed in. I did find it hard to connect to Neon because it didn't feel like we got a lot of what makes him who he is, and I wanted to know more about him. I enjoyed the moments of connection he had with people in his family, particularly his grandmother. Other parts of the novel felt unrealistic to me, I wasn't sure that a boy of 17 would talk so openly about his first time with everyone in his family but maybe things are different now than when me and my peer group were that age. I also wasn't sure why there was so much in the novel about the yearbook, it felt like it took away from the main story a little too much. On the whole though I think this is a lovely read and I'm sure young people will love it and get a lot from it.

I love this book, the pacing is fantastic and I mostly enjoyed the gentleness of love between the different character, from forehead kisses, to verbal check ins, and general interactions. It is a joy to read black bodies being loved on by themselves and each other.
Mr Reynolds really did hold space for approaching firsts, and the language with which he talks of implications of said firsts and those that come after made for a healthy space to conversate about the topic. The nuances of how black communication is always sprinkled with humour made for a trip down memory lane.

Spectacular give me 14 of these right now

Okay now I'm away to pick on his back list because I can't believe this was my first Jason Reynolds book, I am ashamed and going to fix it promptly.

The last sentence in this book in the acknowledgements says P.S. Black boys deserve love stories too. That sentence really sums up the message in this book. The main character, Neon, is planning to sleep with his girlfriend of two years, Aria, for the first time. Both of them are virgins and this story tracks Neon's emotions from just before all the way back to the very first time he sees Aria. Throughout the story, Neon is given advice from a wide range of people in his life. One of his best friends talks a lot about having sex and brags about how experienced he is (but noone believes him). His mum and dad are recognise that it's going to happen, but want to make sure that he's ready, both mentally and physically. His grandfather tells him that he might have been told to sew his oats, but just because that is a stereotype, it doesn't mean that he should. What I love is the way the adults in this story are open to talk about things (even if Neon would prefer they didn't at times) and the fact that they don't want Neon to make decisions he might regret just because society says he should. Jason Reynolds is such a great writer and I have always enjoyed reading his books. This one is another great hit and should be a must for every boy because they DO deserve love stories too.

'Twenty-Four Seconds from Now' is a beautifully honest novel for teenagers about relationships and first sexual experiences. We first meet Neon and Aria, both in their senior year at high school, just as they are about to have sex for the first time. Then we rewind 24 seconds, 24 minutes, 24 hours, 24 days, 24 weeks and 24 months to look back on how their relationship has unfolded. In particular, we learn more about Neon's anxieties and insecurities - from how to unhook Aria's bra to putting on a condom - and get to hear the wonderfully candid advice different members of his family give him. These family members have different attitudes towards sex and relationships but all place an emphasis on consent and respect, and we can see how loving and respectful Neon and Aria's relationship is.

As ever, Jason Reynolds writes stunningly, with both lyricism and humour. As he writes in his acknowledgements, 'Black boys deserve love stories too', and, importantly, this novel offers a highly positive portrayal of Black masculinity and Black communities. But more generally, many teenage boys will relate strongly to Neon's fears and vulnerabilities, and the novel offers a powerful antidote to the messages around toxic masculinity and rape culture perpetuated by the likes of Andrew Tate and others.

This is a superb YA novel - many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Jason Reynolds does it again. What an incredibly talented story teller this man is! The structure of this book is fantastic - I loved following the story in reverse! It was such a cool concept to track back with 24 being the main theme: 24 seconds, 24 minutes,
24 days etc. the book centres on a relationship which is about to go to the next level, revealing the build up of their relationship. Perfect for YA readers.

A quick and comical young adult story about growing up and important moments in a young person’s life. From relationships between family, friends, and partners. It was a great story told in a funny, sweet way and it made a nice change reading a vulnerable romance book from the perspective of a male.

The lesser-seen male view of teenage physical love.

4.5 stars.

The author ends her acknowledgements with "P.S. Black boys deserve love stories too." It made me realise all the more that I rarely see this perspective in YA fiction. Sometimes it's a male point of view, but I don't think I've ever read a book about 'first s*xual experience' through the boy's nervous eyes.

This was lovely. It takes us back in time, from mere moments before Neon is about to leave the bathroom to his waiting girlfriend Aria in her bedroom, to hours before, days before, months before, to their first meeting.

It enables us to see how they met and became friends, fell in love, how their relationship graudally developed. It shows us Neon's family and how his BFF sister, mum and dad all play a role in preparing him as he considers losing his v1rginity with the girl he's smitten with.

I adored these parts, by the way. As a parent of a young teen, seeing how different parents broach the subject and what they say - fascinating, useful, and hilarious awkward (cos I'm not the one there!). I was taking notes though.

Neon is a regular teen, he's not a part of a gang, he's part of the school yearbook crew, with a close-knot group of supportive friends with mature outlooks and ambitions. While Neon may not be headed for university like Aria is, he's still considering his future and shows an engrained sense of family loyalty through interactions with his grandmother, who shows her own perspective on love as she reminisces on her own much-missed husband.

A true family story about love and intimacy, Neon's sister and one of her many boyfriends have their own thoughts to add. Connection, friendship, affection, all the facets of love play a role in the story that ultimately ends with Neon and Aria back where we started, having told us their story and ready to move to the next stage, getting to this point by healthy and considered means.

A mature YA tale, that gives an awful lot of subjects to think about within a slim volume. Yes, a perspective I want to see again.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Jason Reynolds books are always awesome and this doesn’t disappoint
Neon is waiting to have sex with his girlfriend for the first time and the book takes a look at their lives on a rewind of 24 minutes, hours, days, weeks and months
A refreshing look at sex from a masculine perspective

A touching read about young love which I really enjoyed.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

In this marvellous novel with a wonderful experimental form, we meet Neon, 17, who is about to have sex with his girlfriend, Aria, for the first time - he's in the bathroom, panicking. We then hop back to 24 minutes previously, then 24 hours, 24 days, etc. It all makes sense and it gives us a chance to see Neon in three dimensions, plus his family - there's a wonderful scene where his mum gives him sex advice very loudly in a cafe, and it's full of love, tenderness and laughter, but makes the very important point that Reynolds ends his afterword with: "Black boys deserve love stories too".

A meditation on young Black masculinity shown organically through Neon's friends, it's very well done. There's some lovely metafiction near the end where Neon tells us what would have happened if this was a film rather than "the beginning of a special, regular story".

Blog review due 9 October 2024: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2024/10/09/book-reviews-two-great-ya-reads-from-amanda-addison-and-jason-reynolds/

Jason Reynolds finishes his acknowledgments with ‘PS: Black boys deserve love stories too’ and that’s a beautiful summary of this book. It has a very unusual construction, telling the love story of teenagers Neon and Aria in reverse. The first chapter is set Right Now, but goes back then to 24 seconds ago, 24 minutes, 24 hours, 24 days, 24 weeks and 24 months so we learn of their relationship from first meeting to now preparing to lose their virginity together. Many of the important relationships in Neon’s life are with women, so we hear the different generational advice from his sister, mother and grandmother on how to treat women, the (comically exaggerated) experiences of his best friend and the more measured experiences of his father.

Neon’s love for Aria and his nerves are beautifully told and it’s so refreshing to see the feelings of young men treated so tenderly. This is an absolute treat of a book and a much needed antidote to some of the influences they receive today.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

A tender, honest and truly beautiful story of teenage love and losing one's virginity, How wonderful to read a book that centers around a boy's experience for once, and to read sensitive, caring and multidimensional male characters. The narrative structure is so clever, allowing readers to join the dots, and giving them an unusual but wonderful insight into the characters' lives and thinking. It is on point, and it is also very funny at times; the dinner scene being a particular highlight. Reynolds just gets teenagers and writes them with such reverence and fondness.
It's a truly special important book, and it might be his best one yet.