Review: The Struggles of being young
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 23, 2013
Emma was born premature and has always been fiercely protected by her brother Ryan and his best friends.  "Runt" as she is annoyingly called by all of them, because of her small stature.  She's 15 and has had crushes on 2 of her older brother's BF's.  An unknown boy comes to her door, looking for Ryan, and Emma is instantly taken by him.  Zach, 17, has recently and reluctantly moved to Ashland, OR, and is not one bit happy about it.  Coming from SF, he thinks this OR town is a joke. He has a bad attitude and is going through the motions of his probation.  Zach had been living a reckless life for awhile, making bad choices.  He is now paying for them.  His chance meeting with Emma while waiting for Ryan to return home, has an instant effect on him and his outlook.The story is a coming of age love story, I suppose.  Emma starts to have strong first time feelings for Zach.  As their relationship develops, there is a dark secret Zach wants to keep from Emma.  I found the characters well written and engaging.  I enjoyed the message of love and forgiveness.  The supporting characters are big players in the story, and kept the story flowing.This is more than a young adult story, the characters are in high school, with realistic experiences making it an interesting and enjoyable read.  The truth of sexual experiences and alcohol use is written honestly.There are bound to be more hurdles for Emma and Zach to overcome to keep their love strong and together.  I can't wait to read the next book.This is Kristi Pelton's first book release.  I am looking forward to reading more of her stories.