Review: NOT your typical YA ROMANCE.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 19, 2013
Usually, when I read the synopsis of a book, it tells me exact what I am getting myself into; however, that was not the case with this one. By reading the summary, I assume that it would be a light, fun, easy read-something I definitely needed after reading very intense books like Allegiant and Never Fade. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary, but there are times (like now) where I feel as if they are the right kind of books to read. I thought that this story would be about a girl falling in love with a guy over the summer, and realizing that the guy she is currently with is not the one for her. Not that it would disappoint me because I wanted a light read, but I was so pleasantly pleased to find out how much I enjoyed this book because it wasn't what I expected, and it gave me so much more than what I was looking for, and for that, I am grateful.At first, I definitely did not like Lucy at all-talk about being the prime example of a teenage drama queen. She was rude, selfish, and aboslutely horrible to her parents, especially her mom. But that dislike didn't last for long, as I realize how much of myself I saw in her back when I was in high school. There's something precious about those teenage years that make them the best and the worst years of a person's life. They are also the years where most grow apart from their parents. Although reading this now, I find Lucy really unreasonable and rude, a part of me cannot judge her too harshly because I am sure I was just as bad when I was 16.There is a love story yes, and a wonderful one at that which I will discuss later, but what I really loved was the fact that this whole story wasn't just a typical YA romance. There is so much emphasis on the importance of family, that was touching and made me really love this story. The author really shows how precious the bond of family is, and how as we get older, we seem to drift away from it the way Lucy does. Yet, at the end of the day, family is important no matter how old we get, and that is something everyone needs to understand. Lucy's relationship with her mom is honest, raw, and emotional and the feelings never felt forced or scripted which made their bond seem that much more realistic.I love Justin's character, and how they didn't get together as soon as they met-I can't stand those insta-love romances. The author really takes the time to build their relationship into a very strong friendship, and nothing with them was rushed. I like how they both encourage and respect one another even before anything serious even develops around them.The significant of the title is beautiful, and the cover art is gorgeous as well. It just goes to show that the best relationships we can have are ones that come easy to us, effortless ones.