Review: tough subject matter
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2014
Jules is an 18 year old who has just aged out of the foster care system after spending her entire life moving from one foster family to another. A social worker gives her a temporary place to stay which keeps her from homelessness. Jules is emotionally guarded because of many of her life experiences to date, and finds herself surprised at wanting to let her guard down for the first time when she meets Jake. Jake is quickly attracted to Jules, and finds himself experiencing strong feelings for her that he wasn't expecting. There are some barriers that make their budding relationship challenging, but they don't seem to be able to fight the attraction they share.This book dealt with some pretty heavy topics, and I thought the author did a good job of addressing them. Jules is a strong character who despite her experiences is very well-adjusted and has managed a lot of successes that others in her same position may not have. She works hard to try and be independent and seek out what she wants most out of life, which is stability and a family. Jake is a pretty great character. He is patient with Jules, and after some initial screw ups, is pretty straight forward with her about his feelings and intentions. I enjoyed watching Jules develop friendships and get her life started down a healing path. I did find some of the dialogue a little choppy at times, but overall I enjoyed spending time with these characters seeing how their relationships helped one another. I would read more by this author in the future. 3.5 stars.