Review: Wonderful story of young love
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 9, 2014
A free copy of the book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest reviewI am a sucker for coming-of-age/young love stories and was also a teenager during the 1980s, so Heaven was right up my alley.  And, it did not disappoint.  C.J. Anthony did a wonderful job depicting the high school environment, the cliches and peer pressure.  I also enjoyed all the references to music and how people used to dress (yikes!).However, the strength of this book lies in the characters.  Both MCs are adorable and I was rooting for them throughout the story. The two have many differences, but they complement each other well.  Brian narrates the story in first person and his is a wonderful voice.  The balance between serious issues/events and humor was perfect.  And, Joey - so sweet and strong - I loved how he insisted on expressing himself despite everything that pushed him to conform.  The strength of their relationship, despite their differences and outside influences, was a joy to read.  I also loved reading about their childhood and the growth of their friendship and self discovery.The secondary characters are all well drawn and interesting.  I especially enjoyed Uncle Nat and his side comments.CJ Anthony's writing is easy-to-read and the book has a good pace.  The story is straight-forward - no confusing "what the heck is going on" moments. I tore right through it.  (Sad it was over so quickly, though.)The ending is really sweet - maybe a bit sappy, but in a great way.  I would have liked the story to be longer so we could learn more about Brian and Joey between their Senior year and the book's ending.One nit pick - the cover - this book deserves a much better cover.  The cover says nothing about the story and I think Brian and Joey with their very different looks could have made an amazing cover.Hopefully the cover will not dissuade anyone from reading Heaven.  If you enjoy stories about young love and self discovery, I recommend this book.