This book is probably not one that I would have picked to read by myself but I received it through the early reviewers program with Library thing so I went ahead and read it. The book in question was 52 weeks: A Party of One by Bianca Pensy Aba. It opens on New Years with the main character, Aisha, walking in on her best friend of six years and her boyfriend of two years and continues throughout the next year as she works to deal with the aftermath of the discovery. Her method of doing so, putting the names of all 50 states in a bucket and drawing one out before traveling to the state she pulled. Aisha ends up leaving Denver to spend the year in Dallas, Texas as she attempts to hide from everyone and push everything down instead of properly healing. However, she ends up making some new friends and making progress, albeit slowly, as she heals.
I knew the basic premise of the story going in but I was rather impressed by how realistic the portrayal was of how Aisha dealt with what had happened. Mind you, her method of doing so was not healthy in the least but it was realistic as many people would do something similar. I don’t normally read this kind of thing but I was really drawn in and fascinated by Aisha’s journey to recovery from the betrayal of her best friend and her boyfriend. It was both a physical journey as she traveled from Denver to Dallas and back but also a mental journey as she traveled from on the verge of a mental breakdown to being able to see a potentially positive future. Overall, it was a very well written story that was both moving and heartbreaking. The one thing I didn’t like very much was that there were a few scenes that were almost explicit and something I was not prepared for. However, the inclusion of those scenes were not gratuitous and actually served to further the story and at times to help Aisha in her healing journey. As such I did not feel like they detracted from the story by their inclusion and were instead only something I was not prepared for. I am giving this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I think in many ways that I would recommend it to others but I would make sure to be clear that I don’t necessarily think it would be suitable for younger readers. Due to the slightly mature content I honestly think it should be read primarily by adult readers with maybe the more mature young adult readers but only if they are prepared for the content. It was a good story though and very compelling so if someone is interested in this kind of story than I think they would enjoy it as it was very good. If anyone is familiar with the book feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. I am curious what everyone else thinks. This book was acquired with the help of LibraryThing and their early reviewers program.