Author: Katie Ashley
Published: April 30th 2013
Publisher: Self Published
Categories: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
 

The summary of this book will not mislead you to expect something else. Like it was written in pure black and white. While the death of Jake triggered things in Noah’s life, I still find myself fascinated that him being gone still moved huge things in his life. He found his issues sorted because of the girl Jake was supposed to ask to marry.

What I loved about Ms. Ashley’s book that it just written in my right formula. I don’t have to be in super deep thoughts. Not that this book is shallow or anything. I read book because I want to be entertained. And that’s always what I get from her books. And this one is no exemption. Although it took me some time to warm up to the idea of Jake and Noah’s being close buddies. If were in his place and the person who bullied me will be the last guy/girl I’ll plan to include in my friends list. But hey, as they say, there’s a fine line between love and hate.

My issue is Noah’s oblivious to Jake changes. If he is truly his friend he should have at least noticed subtle changes on him. Because I will. But I kind of understand Jake’s stance of keeping his reformed status hidden. I know with kind of society and they expect to conform on it; it’s hard to be who you are because of what people expect of you. It’s hard to remove impression on people on you. They judge on you on things and expect you to be that ever step of the way. Harsh, harsh world. Anyhoo, the thing is, what’s missing on their friendship is trust. I get that the girl needs to know first and all that but if Noah is what he claimed to be, does he not trust him enough to keep the fact secret? Does he not think that maybe, just maybe, Noah will accept his changes? Well, that’s my two cents on that matter.

I liked that Maddie didn’t become this uber goody two shoes. And the fact that her family isn’t entirely perfect, I mean with her father’s profession it’s not a big secret that her family is in everyone’s scrutiny. I liked how they show their flaws that they do need understanding. It’s a good thing that Maddie didn’t push her freedom too much like the girl from The Vincent Boys (sorry totally forgot her name). She craves things her age had experienced but without doing it too much, too soon. I liked how well it was presented.

Now, this is a new adult book that I actually believed why the boy fell in love with the girl. It’s not only because she has nice curves and pretty face, Maddie has personality—a personality she embraced. I totally get why Noah developed feelings for her. Key word here: ‘developed.’ Instant attraction? Yeah, that’s present but how they come into terms made it for me. It’s nice to read books that invested time and effort to make their stories believable and enjoyable. And this one, well, it is indeed believable and highly enjoyable.