The Chaos of Standing Still
Author: Jessica Brody
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: November 28, 2017
Pages: 406
My Rating: ★★★

Ryn has one unread text message on her phone. And it’s been there for almost a year. She hasn’t tried to read it. She can’t. She won’t. Because that one message is the last thing her best friend ever said to her before she died. But as Ryn finds herself trapped in the Denver International Airport on New Year’s Eve thanks to a never-ending blizzard on the one-year anniversary of her best friend’s death, fate literally runs into her. And his name is Xander. When the two accidentally swap phones, Ryn and Xander are thrust into the chaos of an unforgettable all-night adventure, filled with charming and mysterious strangers, a secret New Year’s Eve bash, and a possible Illuminati conspiracy hidden within the Denver airport. But as the bizarre night continues, all Ryn can think about is that one unread text message. It follows her wherever she goes, because Ryn can’t get her brialliantly wild and free-spirited best friend out of her head. Ryn can’t move on. But tonight, for the first time ever, she’s trying. And maybe that’s a start.
 A girl trying to move on after losing her best friend.

First. the concept of this novel is super adorable. There's something about being stuck in an airport where romance ensues that always gets me. I love how the whole book takes place in one single day with flashbacks. Ryn meets a boy named Xander during a layover that leaves the whole airport shut down due to a very bad snowstorm. They talk about life and have fun little adventures all throughout the night. I give this book an average rating only because it is predictable but all in a good way. It's not the best book that I have ever read but it certainly was not the worst either. It is a simple story of two young people falling in love. There is a very predictable ending but that was to be expected with the premise.

The flashbacks were the best part of the novel by far. Both main characters have baggage to unload and get over.. Big Shocker there. Ryn and Xander both help each other with the hardships they are facing. I had a hard time connecting with the main character Ryn and therefore only give this book an average rating. At times, she began to be super annoying and dependent on her best friend Lottie that recently just passed away. Her stages of grief were very relatable but almost to the point of it being too overly dramatic. If you want a quick read then go ahead and give this one a try. I enjoyed the mental health aspects of the novel. Just an average read for me.

Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started self “publishing” her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples, and electrical tape. After graduating from Smith College in 2001 where she double majored in Economics and French and minored in Japanese, Jessica later went on to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development. In May of 2005, Jessica quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author. Since then, Jessica has sold over twelve novels for teens, tweens, and adults including 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, The Karma Club, My Life Undecided, and the three books in the Unremembered trilogy, the first of which is currently in development as a major motion picture by the producers of The Vampire Academy, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi, and Slumdog Millionaire. In 2016, she will release two new contemporary novels, A Week of Mondays (August) and Boys of Summer (April), and in 2017, her debut middle grade novel entitled, Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up, will hit bookstore shelves. Jessica also writes books for the Descendants: “School of Secrets” series, based on the hit Disney Channel Original movie, Descendants! Jessica’s books are published and translated in over twenty foreign countries. (Click here for a full list of foreign sales and publishers.) She currently splits her time between California and Colorado.