To get right to the point: WHAT. A. BOOK! The subject matter is difficult, intense. But it is written in such a way that it is a nice book to read. There is enough air in it to make it not too heavy and intense.
Liv and Emerald are distinct personas. You get a good impression of who they are. And I also found them very believable. I recognize Emerald's reactions and Liv's feelings. And I want to thank the writer for that. Because it would be easy to exaggerate it all, or just keep it small. But this is how I experience things too. And that's quite nice to read. Almost feels like a kind of acknowledgement.
I also think it's important that this book is out there. I wish I had had this book when I was 14. Then I would have understood things better and been able to express myself better.
The preface warns of the tough subject and refers to relevant contacts if you need help. I like that so much, because this subject may require more aftercare. And so you have to handle it with extreme caution.
I think For Sorrow No One Has Time is an important book that belongs in every high school library! My opinion: breathtaking

No one has time for grief - Monica Hook (HamleyBooks)
Liv and Emerald are two teenagers who have each suffered a great loss. Liv reluctantly moves to the other side of the country, where she meets Emerald. Her new best friend struggles with her own problems and has a hard time picking up where she left off. The two quickly grow closer, which also gives them hope for a better future, but the secrets they both carry with them mean that this friendship comes to a head.
Not only is the cover and interior super nice by good HamleyBooks standards but the title, it made me absolutely want to read this book. A Young Adult that raises a lot of expectations because of this title but does this book live up to the expectations?
You read the book from Liv and Emerald's point of view, alternately reading how they feel and experience things. Both Liv and Emerald are characters that are very real. Their reactions, feelings it is all very believable and balanced.
Thanks to Monica Hook's writing style, despite the incredibly heavy topics, she managed to keep the book readable. It is intense but so is life and so are the issues raised. Monica Haak wrote a very important, realistic and recognizable book with this book.
Books that address difficult topics, address taboo subjects are so important and, again, enough attention has been given to help options and where to go if you have questions after reading this book.
A book that will help many young people, a very recognizable book, even the moments of "unnecessary drama" are real because at that particular age it all feels so intense too. On top of all these things, for sadness no one has time is a very nice story, a very nice book.

In this particularly poignant debut from Monica Hook, as a reader you not only get to enjoy a wonderful story but also learn an awful lot about the effects that life-changing situations can have on young people and how two girls of the same age who experience a similar drastic event deal with it incredibly differently. This book shows very well how alert you have to be as a parent to know what is going on in your child.
The book is told from the points of view of the two girls with the chapters alternating between the two. This is made clear not only by the name above each chapter but also by two beautiful illustrations. It is precisely because the girls themselves are always taking their turn that you learn more about them personally and can better empathize with their situation as a result.
The story is unpredictable and discusses various difficult events that young people can go through such as relationships, keeping up in school and depression. This makes the book a special book for everyone to have read and there is something in it for everyone that makes the book touch your heart.
Because of Monica's beautiful and smooth writing style and the unexpected and unusual twists and turns of the story, For Sorrow Has No Time is a book you will read in one go with tears in your eyes and which would stay with you for a long time.

Wonderful book!!! The writing style was very smooth, Monica knows how to convey feelings to readers. This story is going to stay with me for a long time!
From me it gets 4.5/5!

Wonderful book!!! The writing style was very smooth, Monica knows how to convey feelings to readers. This story is going to stay with me for a long time!
From me it gets 4.5/5!

Liv and Emerald are two 16-year-old girls who have both already suffered a great loss. Liv lost her father and Emerald lost her sister. So when Liv moves to make a fresh start somewhere else, they quickly discover that they have a lot in common. They find comfort in each other. Especially Emerald is still having a hard time. How can she go on living without her sister? Can Liv get her out of the dark pit she has been in for so long?
Monica Haak is a Dutch writer. "Voor verdriet heeft niemand tijd" is her debut that was first released under her own management. She then later joined Hamley Books, where the book was given a new look.
What a fierce story. It is a book about loss, grief, self-harm and suicide. But also about friendship, family and hope. It's book is very straightforward and doesn't mince words anywhere. I did find this really intense and I had to put it down for a while at times.
Furthermore, I think it is very strong of the author how she tackled such a sensitive subject. The book is about two 16-year-old girls, which sometimes annoyed me with the behavior of the characters. Some situations in the book were very serious and mature, but in some smaller events I found them fairly adolescent. But of course that suited the story and made the characters more believable.
The book reads tremendously smoothly, you really fly through it. You empathize enormously with both characters who each have their difficulties and secrets. The book also switches perspectives between both characters which makes it fun to read certain situations from both perspectives. I definitely found this to be an added bonus!
If this topic is already a little closer to you or you are extra sensitive to this: beware. It is quite explicit and intense. Furthermore, I do think it is important not to make the subject a taboo and I can only applaud such books!
No one has time for sorrow / Monica Hook / ISBN: 9789463967280 / Publisher: Hamley Books / Suggested retail price: €18.99

The cover of this book shows two girls holding each other. It is a beautiful soft cover that immediately appealed to me.
In this young adult, we are introduced to Liv and Emerald. Both have experienced something in the past year that causes their lives to be turned upside down.
On the first day of school, they meet. And then in physics they turn out to be partners on a project. With small steps, their friendship seems to be born.
One thing in this story bothered me. Certain words are printed with a different font. This I find unfortunate.
What strikes me most is the humor in this story. It is a heavy topic being written about, but the humor inserted makes it feel much less heavy.
A nice qoute what I took from the book is the following, one that I certainly used to find myself in many a time.
To the latter I had replied that I could always go to the library with a book, books bring much less drama than girls my age do.
page 2
The girls grow closer and confide in each other to a certain extent. But there remains a path of manipulation in this friendship. Though this is from one side. Lying and cheating just to avoid showing what she is doing to grieve.
The heavy theme central to this story is the suicidal thoughts one of the main characters has. Nicely depicted how she thinks I find the qoute below;
A little smile. She is funny, but I should not have that. I don't want friendship, I don't want to bond with people.
page 13
This book I definitely recommend reading. Despite the heavy theme, it remains lighthearted in a way. Nice also how you are referred to certain authorities at the back of the book if you are walking around with these thoughts.

Very beautifully and openly written. Handsome how you dare to write about difficult topics like suicide and self-harm. Touching because it makes you realize that you are not alone.

Characters:
We have two main characters in this story namely Liv and Emerald. Both have been through a lot and are now trying to process this. I had some trouble with the characters, I couldn't really identify with them because they are younger than me and therefore it doesn't feel like a young adult to me. The events in contrast fit this very well. You soon notice that Liv is further along in the process and therefore more level-headed. Emerald shows everyone how far along she is but in reality is not. Their relationship is good for both of them. Liv, in my opinion, goes through a nice development and is a good friend, she grows in her thinking and in her actions. She discovers feelings that were not there before, this is a nice development. Emerald in contrast is more reserved. Her development has yet to happen and unfortunately this is not addressed in the story itself, therefore for me she is stuck at a certain point and that is a deep pit, and then does not come out of it. I would have liked to read that she is doing well another 3 months later would have been enough for me. Other than that they are nice characters and fit well together, they have big problems and it is nice that those problems are introduced in a book through these girls.
The story:
The story itself is strongly constructed and realistically portrayed which makes you feel like these girls could be in your class. This makes it a better story precisely because you can empathize. Some things were predictable but this didn't make much of a difference to the enjoyment of reading the story. I didn't find the introduction itself very special but it made it clear right away what the differences were between Liv and Emerald. The core was better, a lot of events happen but this makes you read on quickly because you want to know how something ends. Sometimes it was a bit too much for me, but there was also no part that I thought well this does not need to be there. The ending was beautiful. But as already mentioned it is a pity that you can not read how Emerald continues, this could have been a nice addition.
The topics are intense, but very important that these things are discussed by way of a book. I always feel that topics like this should not be written about. Do this especially because it helps so many young people, and how well this is incorporated into the story. You feel what it does to people through the paper.
Writing Style
What was a big plus is that Monica's writing style is very lighthearted, which is nice. And that sounds strange now, but with so many heavy topics, a light-hearted writing style is just nice. The sentences are fine, and certainly no difficult words. The events are put down in a way that makes you feel like you are not reading but watching, this is definitely due to the visual style, which was very pleasant with this book. The emotions are well described and the idea of being on a roller coaster is definitely present. Compliments on this writing especially for a debut.
Rating:
I gave this book * 4 out of 5 * stars. It is a strong debut, but the downside was that I didn't feel that connection with the characters right away and I found that unfortunate. Otherwise, it was a wonderful story with topics that should be addressed more often. My compliments.