ARC, 419 pages
Release Date: April 3, 2018Published by: Simon Pulse
Read from: March 25-28, 2018Stand-aloneSource: PublisherFor fans of: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Adventure, YAEver since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.
But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.
What could go wrong?
With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.
And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I found out about this book I could hardly contain my excitement. My original review consists of a string of letters that don’t make any words saying how excited I was about this. And just like her other novels, I had good reason to be!
“Bad times don’t last. You have to hand on until they pass..“pg. 60
Zorie’s mom convinces her to go on a “glamping” trip with the people she calls friends. But along the way, things don’t go as Zorie planned and she ends up stuck in the woods with one of the people she mosts hates: Lennon. They must hash out their differences so they can move on and move through the woods. And that’s exactly what they do. This forces them to realize they had many more secrets than they thought.
“….there’s comfort in knowing that when your plans fall apart, you can survive. That the worst thing imaginable can happen, but you can get through it. That’s why I like to read horror fiction. It’s not about the monsters. It’s about the hero surviving them and living to tell the tale.”.“pg. 216
Jenn Bennett has a way of making her characters feel so fleshed out and real. All of them carried so much emotion and they all had a back story, and it made them feel so real. From the three books I’ve read by her, the characters all become my favorite part of the book.This one was no different.
“Bad shrimp!”pg. 230
I was also glad for the beautiful setting this Bennett created as well. I wondered for awhile whether or not she had done this trip or hiked in any of these places. Whatever she used to develop the setting for this one was amazing!
“…for the first time since we’ve left home, I am not anxious.“262
Then there was the love story. OMG I LOVED it. I LOVED Lennon and even though Jack is still my favorite, Lennon and Alex are not far behind. But I think the best part of this romance was the fact that not only were they fascinating characters on their own, but they BOTH multiplied each other together. They both brought something to their relationship and that’s hard to come by in YA nowadays.
“You can plot a course that will get you to your destination, but you can’t predict what you’ll find along the way.“pg. 381
If it wasn’t obvious before, I will read whatever and whenever Bennett writes something. Her storytelling, her characters, and her romance will most definitely make you swoon and will pull you under and won’t let you go until you’ve turned the last page.
Overall, I give this
I'm excited to try this one. I read ALEX, APPROXIMATELY last year and really liked it– but I didn't LOVE the main characters, so I didn't LOVE love it. BUT I did super love the feel of it and the writing and I knew I wanted to read more from the author. Glad this lived up to your expectations!!!