Review: Great Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 23, 2011
This really was a fantastic read.  I was captured right from the beginning, and found myself staying up late and getting up early so I could read more.The book starts off with Hope and some of her family moving out to Cherry, CA.  They are a family divided, and her paternal grandmother lives out west, so they decide to leave GA.  They aren't rich, but they are definitely moving to a wealthy area.  Hope, her dad, and two of her brothers (Eliot and Easton - twins) pack up the van and are on their way.Right away Hope meets a few people, and they are all kind of haughty.  She manages to make a couple friends right away, but no one like her bestie back home, Karsen.And then one night she sees a bunch of people walking down the beach, and they are all heading the same direction.  She decides to investigate and comes upon a rock concert! The crowd is enthralled, and soon starts to get wild.  But someone is coming to Hope's rescue, a guy full of tattoos, mystery, and carrying a baseball bat!  His name is Slade, and he saves her from the rock hungry crowd.And then Hope meets Tucker.  He's the classic all American boy type:  fantastically good looking, charming.  And he's giving Hope lots of attention.  What girl wouldn't be flattered and excited?Boy, these two guys, Slade and Tucker, really had me in a tug of war for the first half of the book.  I could easily see how Hope was having trouble picking just one.  But luckily that difficulty doesn't last.  She goes on dates with each of them.Slade and Hope's first date is the perfect teen dream.  Two young people learning about each other, fanning that spark.  The undertow of excitement, curiosity and fascination took me back in time and made me want more, more, more!  I thought right there I had made my mind up, regardless of the story I was picking Slade.But then Tucker picks Hope up for the first day of school and he seems so sweet and genuine.  Could it be true?  I was wrestling with myself mentally here.  He seems so intent on getting to know her better and definitely on a flirtier level.  I must admit, if it was me I would have totally fallen for his tactics.  Flirty, fun, carefree.  Then I made my mind up again, I wanted Tucker.And then I flip flopped around, every new fact giving you more information.  Do you go with the mainstream and play it "safe" or do you go outside your boundaries where there is passion and danger?So which does she pick?  Who steals her heart?  And whose mystery is more dangerous than fun?  This book was really good at keeping you guessing.  The author gives you a little hint, then steers you in a new direction.  But either way, you are glued to the page, waiting to see where the path goes.  You get to see the characters really develop and grow all while going on a great trip.  I got mad, I got happy, and I was anxious and scared.  It was a lengthy book, but for me it went superfast and would be positively happy if it were even longer - or a series!I agree with Holly Hood, this book doesn't exactly fit into a YA category.  There are some mature scenes.  It is probably best left for eyes 16 and over.  And with that said, I think that the paranormal fans will be happy, along with love story fans, and even some mystery fans.Ebook provided by author for review