Raiza Denise

This author was inspired to write this particular story by a song…’You Belong with Me’ by Taylor Swift. I like many of you was a bit skeptical upon hearing the book’s origins…I mean, yes, many of her songs are mini-movie worthy (music video at least) and the particular album this song came from does tell a story of love lost and gained, but to write an actual book about it? I definitely had a raised eyebrow or two at that point. Thank goodness I don’t run from the raised eyebrow response because it was in fact a GOOD READ.

The story is sweeping in that teenage love sorta way, the narrative while overindulgent a time or two works well enough to keep things moving along but the surprise about halfway through this 527 pager was completely unexpected…and worked well to inject new life into the story. You see, the first half of the book is all about the discovery of their feelings and making the most of the summer before college….the second half, we jump TEN YEARS into the future to see what’s become of them. Confused? Don’t worry…I was too for a moment.

The important thing here is to keep in mind the opening sequence (with the accident mentioned in the tease from the author). That is the real splitting point for the two halves of this well rounded whole. It may not seem to connect at first but as the pieces start falling into place, trust me…it will. Your feelings towards one character or another will change a few dozen times as reasons for actions or lack thereof are finally explained, all leading up to a dramatic ending that…well, I won’t spoil it for you but it is certainly worth sticking around for. ^_^ In short, I really enjoyed it and found myself lost in the pages many a time wishing for just a few more minutes, a few more seconds to read further into Abby’s and Nick’s story.

Now…here’s where we get down to the part I had to “digest”. Self published books are a creation all their own. How so? Well, the story can be fantastic, that hidden gem waiting to be discovered by “Mr. Big Time Publisher”…hence why I consider all titles equally…BUT and there is a “but”, they can also be lacking in a few areas as well. Case in point, the title of this book works well, but the cover art….could be improved. Small cosmetic issue, I know, but it can catch a reader’s attention or turn it off completely regardless of how much we try NOT to judge a book by its cover. Second point and much bigger issue for me, the editing process… *deep breath*

Okay, blame it on the fact that my 7th grade English teacher was hardcore, but grammar, sentence structure, proper word usage…they are all important factors in any written work. Now, I’m not perfect and I certainly make errors in my own writing (and cringe when I find them later) but with a full length novel….you HAVE to be EXTRA careful.

While the story ROCKED, there is a significant amount of editing to be done. It’s not really a case of misspelled words or improper usage (KUDOS to the author for avoiding those common errors!), but it is a saddled by an issue with incomplete thoughts…or rather re-thought thoughts? The sentence or paragraph will start out fine and then when you’ve almost reached the end…BAM you’re thrown a curve. From the way these instances read, it’s like the author had a clear vision of where they were taking the story, thought better of it, and re-worded the ending to suit their needs. Unfortunately, it makes for the occasional reread now and again to get things back in order but other than interrupting the reading flow, it doesn’t draw away from the overall enough to block your enjoyed.

In summary, a GREAT story filled with all the wonder, hope, and emotions a Young Adult book promises with an unexpected twist to bring non-teen readers into the intended audience as well. If you’re looking to capture that feeling of discovering your first love and whirlwind of emotions that follow, this books for you. If you’re looking to catch a glimpse of what happily ever after might (or might not…again, not spoiling the ending!) look like, this books for you. If you’re simply looking for a story that shares both the ideals of young love with the reality that is life and a fair amount of both romantic intent and angst…this book is definitely for you. Certainly a title that will rate higher with female readers, but hey….everyone needs a “white knight” at some time in their lives, even if that time isn’t right now.… (meer)