The Chaos of standing Still, by: Jessica Broady

       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.

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My Rating: ★★★★★

       Happy New Year everyone! It seems so fitting that my first review of the year be for a book set over the New Year’s Holiday. When I decided to pick this book up off the shelves of the store, I had no idea that it would be such a meaningful read. As I was reading this book, there were so many different layers throughout it, whether it was the characters themselves, or little sub-plots and inside jokes with the reader sprinkled throughout the book.
       First of all, I went into this book thinking that it would be a light and fun read, and while comedic moments and funny banter between Ryn and Xander filled this book to the brim, the focus of the book was quite profound. Ryn is coping with the loss of her best friend, Lottie, and while it may have been almost a year, Ryn still is having to figure out how to move on without her. Through this struggle, we not only see what is happening to her in the airport, but are given bits and pieces of Ryn’s past along the way, both before, during, and after the accident. 
       Ryn serves as both our main character and our narrator in this story, and I have to say, she has made her way into my list of top narrators that I have ever read. Third-person narration in this novel would’ve been okay, but the addition of Ryn’s personality to the telling of the tale made it go above and beyond. That insight that we got while being able to be inside her head was very impactful to the story. Ryn’s point of view also added to the mystery of “Muppet Guy’s” identity and his story, because while we are finding out pieces of Ryn and Lottie’s friendship, we are also discovering who he is and his story. The added sprinkle of mystery was what gave this story its charm.
       My favorite thing about this book was that even though this book had a heartfelt story to it, it still had me laughing out loud and wanting more. Since one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to read every night before bed, I would be sitting by myself in almost complete darkness, laughing to myself. The characters all had a sense of humor (and a little spark of sarcasm) that was very similar to mine. Books that can make me laugh climb to the top of my favorites list quite quickly.

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       I am so glad that I had the pleasure of reading this book as my first of 2018. Not that you have to by any means, but I do recommend reading this around New Years. I feel like reading a contemporary during the time of year that it is set only adds to the reading experience.
       Have you read The Chaos of Standing Still or are you planning to now? Let me know all of your thought about the book and the New Year in the comments!

Your reader of one book this year,
Ashton

​If something you did causes failure, shouldn't the exact opposite of what you did bring success?

― Jessica Brody