Review: SPOLIER ALERT!!!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 12, 2014
“Following You” by Kelly Harper is a short novella in her By You series that is meant to transition the point of view from Maggie to Sarah.  It can be read as a part of the series or as a stand-a-lone book.  This book finds Sarah and Huck getting settled into their freshman year at college and struggling to find common ground now that they are away from their small town home.SPOLIER ALERT!!!I have to come at this review from two directions…as a stand-a-lone/introduction to the next book in the series and as a continuation/book three in an already established series.  If I look at it as a stand-a-lone the story would work really well.  The plot is not uncommon in college settings around the world…high school sweethearts go off to college, spread their wings, and realize that their paths are going in different directions.  Once the hurt feelings pass, they could probably even become good friends.  This novella sets up the plot for the next book in the series well from that perspective.However, I read the first two books in the series and I had already met Sarah and Huck.  I watched them discover their feelings for each other and begin dating.  I was invested in their relationship.  I will admit that there were subtle signs throughout those books that Sarah might be slightly more committed than Huck, but it never came across as insurmountable.  They both seemed to have a deep love for one another, built on a sturdy foundation of friendship that would go the distance.The Huck of this book is a completely different boy.  It is as though from the last pages of book 2 to the first pages of book 2.5 he became a different character.  Gone is the sweet, thoughtful boy I really liked replaced by a boy that is self-serving, thoughtless, or at times just rude.  I could totally empathize with Sarah and her confusion about where “her Huck” went because I was feeling the same way.  I wish that Harper had given us one or two chapters from Huck’s perspective so that we might better understand the motivation behind his actions.  Instead, something that should have been developed a bit more came off as rushed and completely out of character.  The Huck from the first two books, even at his lowest, would never have treated Sarah the way he does in this one.I did like the introduction of Jeremy.  Harper gives us just enough about his background to make us intrigued and ready to learn more.  His chemistry with Sarah jumps off the page and I can’t wait to see what develops with them in the next book.Overall, I liked the book.  My only wish would be for a little more insight into Huck’s thoughts.  I would recommend this book as part of the series or as a stand-a-lone.*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*Shannon