Waiting On Wednesday (47): When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, in which bloggers talk about the books they are most eager for!

This Week's Pick: When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

Publisher: Little, Brown

Release Date: June 4th, 2013

Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, When You Were Here explores the two most powerful forces known to man-death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity.

Danny's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn't know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a letter from his mom's property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother's memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died. (Summary from Goodreads)

This book sounds powerful. It sounds like on of those books that marks a place in your heart. That makes you smile through the tears. I really cannot wait for this book and hope it lives up to my expectations. It seems like just the kind of book I will love.

Also, look at that cover. This is one of my favorite covers ever. The sun! The shadowed face! The summery feel! The font! Ah! I just want to hug it and hold it and make it be my life. I can't wait for a pretty hardcover copy. This is one of those books I will have to own.

What are you waiting on this week?

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight) 

All Covered Up: When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

Title: When You Were Here

Author: Daisy Whitney

Release Date: June 2013

This is not a story about grief, cancer, or loss, or even the story of a mother and a son, or a boy and a girl. It’s a story about the two most powerful forces known to man – death and love.

Danny’s mother lost her battle with cancer two months before his high school graduation – the one day that she was hanging on to see. Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heartbreaking ex-girlfriend Holland for company. He hardly knows what she wants from him or what to say for his valedictory speech, let alone how to live and be happy anymore.

Then a letter from his mother’s friend in Tokyo prompts him to drop everything and travel halfway around the world to discover his mom’s secrets – to reveal why her final months were filled with so much joy. But yet he can’t find the answers, or escape the complexities of his relationship with Holland, just by crossing an ocean. Yet amid the cherry blossoms, temples and vibrant crowds of the neon city – and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl – Danny learns that maybe neither ancient magic nor mystical treatment kept his mother going. Kept her happy. Perhaps the secret of how to live lies in how she died. And how she loved. (Summary from Daisy Whitney's Website)

Okay, this book sounds as if it's going to tear me in two emotionally. Just the description gives me chills, and I'm sure the novel will be a tough yet gorgeous read. I really liked Whitney's debut The Mockingbirds, and have been looking forward to her next read for awhile. And When You Were Here sounds like it's going to be amazing.

This cover...sigh, this cover. It's just stunning. Simply, gorgeously stunning. Everything about it so utterly perfect. The simple things like the font and the tag line are amazing! The cover image itself is atmospheric (setting sun and all that) and I love that the light just obsurces the guy's face so we can only see the outline. I adore the blurred background image and the coloring. I just love love love it so hard. 

What do you guys think? Sounds like a good read? Love the cover? Let me know!

When You Were Here is out in June of 2013!

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)