Review: Enjoyable Teenage Romance with Tension
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2013
It was refreshing to read an inter-cultural romance. Kressa is a pure-blooded Mexican, and this is brought out very well - clashed against the all-American boy, Brad. I enjoyed the Spanish dialogue in the beginning as well as the bit of every day life and expectations in contrast to the American setting.The characters are enjoyable. They are faced against tough situations, mostly caused by prejudice and misunderstanding even within the families themselves. These problems appeared realistic and the reactions natural.Unlike most books, this one starts with a monologue of both main characters. Although I'm not a fan of such introductions (I like to get to know my characters during the story), this offers the reader an immediate understanding of what the characters will be feeling and why they react to the situations as they do. And at over 600 pages, the reader has plenty of time to dive into this story at its fullest. I personally would have liked it a bit shorter and don't think it would have hurt the story in any way. But this way, the reader doesn't have to leave the characters quite as quickly either.The romance was sweet, growing slowly with tons of uncertainty - like a real teenage romance does. I enjoyed the natural way this was dealt with and the unexpected problems that can arise in a cross-cultural relationship.