Review: Loved it!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 22, 2013
*I received this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review*Maddy and Noah sucked me into this book, and didn't let me go until it was finished. This is the first novel I've read by Annie Brewer, and I'm so very glad I got the opportunity. Maddy is this beautiful, heartbroken girl, and what I loved about her was that she still was strong enough to take care of herself. Maddy never let the terrible hand she was dealt get her down for too long, and that really made Maddy interesting and likeable. Noah was an even more depressing case because he never had anyone who cared about him. Noah was on his own from a very young age, and while he should've had support he was busy taking care of himself. Plus, he had one parent who used him as a verbal whipping post when their own shortcomings made them feel terrible and another parent who ignored him because her own pain was too great.I loved Noah and Maddy together, because they started off as friends. I was thrilled that it wasn't love at first sight, but a slow build until they realized that they needed and wanted each other in their lives. One of my favorite scenes was when they finally realize they want to act on their attraction and go on a date. Noah is so brutally honest about how he used to be that I can understand why Maddy was falling so hard.I know this book has caught heat because of the immaturity of the characters, but I kind of feel that was the point. Noah and Maddy hadn't grown up, that was the purpose of them being separated towards the end of the book. They both needed that time to grow and to realize that they couldn't keep making the same mistakes and hurting each other. I think it's a true testament to the growth of the characters that they did seem immature, and that's because they were! I did love how Maddy would sometimes explode on Noah, because she was so used to holding things in. I can relate to that because I've been accused of the same thing. Sometimes it can seem like it comes out of nowhere, when really it's been festering for quite some time.I do think that there is a bit of editing to do, but I expected that because it was an ARC copy and not a final one. I think that some scenes could be edited, there were a few scenes that felt redundent but overall I don't think it detracted too much from the book. I give it a full 4 stars because the qualities of a great book are there, just a little more editing and this is a fantastic novel. I can't wait to see a final copy, but I highly recommend this book.