Early Departures

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.

He only has a few weeks to fix two years of silence. What happens when your second chance has a deadline?

• Best Friends to Enemies to... Friends?: Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents. Now, with Q miraculously, temporarily back, he has one last shot to forgive the friend he can’t live without.
• A Heartbreaking Secret: Q has no idea he’s already died once. Jamal is sworn to secrecy, forced to reconnect with his best friend while hiding the devastating truth that their time is running out.
• YA Novel About Grief: A raw, funny, and deeply moving story about learning to live after loss, navigating overwhelming guilt, and finding forgiveness in the most impossible circumstances.
• A Race Against Time: With only a few weeks until Q’s reanimation ends, every moment is precious. This powerful contemporary YA asks what you would do with a temporary miracle.