Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (book review by Efterpi)

Author: Jojo Moyes
Release Date: December 31st 2012
Publisher: Pamela Dorman books/Viking
Pages: 369
Rating: 5 stars
Buy on: Amazon

 Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Review:

Once I read the first two pages of the book I immediately understood that this will be a hard book to judge, it is nothing like the books I read before but it is so beautiful and sad and a huge tear jerker.
It starts with a small background story that initially a lot of us may not understand and it moves on in the present with Lou.

An ordinary woman in her mid 20's. A woman with no real interests and no adventurous life but with a scary experience behind her. When Lou loses her job because of the financial crisis she is over herself because her family has it hard. She knows that there is no way that she will find a decent job in order to support herself and her family and she seems to lose hope when she visits the unemployment office the only available job for her is as a carer for a quadriplegic man. She has no experience over this but then again she doesnt have experience in anything at all its the money that she needs and the pay is good that motivate her to go in for the interview.

Once she is hired she comes face to face with Will. A 35 year old man in a wheel chair unable to move from his chest and down. An ex businessman, he used to be encircled by fame, women sex and luxury and now he is being Lou's nightmare on a wheel chair. She is uncomfortable being around him he is making her life a living hell with his attitude and here starts adventure.

While the book moves on we start to see the real reason Will is treating Lou like that. That he is fighting for his right to have a say in his life now that his mother wants to control most of it out of fear that he will attempt suicide. Now that he is unable to take control of his own life by himself, that he constantly needs someone there to help him with everything. Deep inside we see a man thinking of his amazing and adventurous past and comparing it to the dull and full with misery future that expects him. He simply didnt chose this life for himself. Here we experience the great writing of the author. Although the perspective is from Lou;s point of view we get to know Will a lot better.

We get to see Lou getting attracted to him as he is being a little nicer to him, how she tries to cheer him and actually change her life for the best because of him. How she doing a great research on quadriplegics and the effort she puts in making Will's life easier. But to all that there is a reason.

Some of you may be little reluctant when it comes to the subject of the book. Its a really complicated story that evolves in a love story and how a small decision can change your life for ever. We see how a person can change who you are in a matter of a few months. That was the most beautiful part of the book , how I, the reader got to bond with Will and Lou. Their personalities are so alive, so full of life that I laughed and cried with them. They made me see things from a different perspective.
Moyes does not preach or judge of anyones ethics and decisions and she is really going through the stages of life and how an accident can change you. She gives some interesting perspectives on subjects but still she is letting the reader decide what to believe and what to judge. For me this is amazing storytelling.

I will definitely come back to this book again one day. In my opinion this is a book for those who like books that make you think , books that make you cry and books that the ending always leaves a taste bittersweet and for a lot of thought. Definitely worthed it.

Breathe Into Me by Sara Fawkes ARC (book review by Eleni)

Author:  Sara Fawkes
Release Date: April 8th 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 288
Rating: 4 stars
Buy on: Amazon

How did my life get so broken?  It’s a question Lacey St. James asks herself every day.  Stuck raising her little brother in a trailer park while she works a dead end job at a grocery store, she has a stalker exboyfriend, a bad reputation, and no way out.  

And then, she meets Everett, who changes her entire existence.

Everett is an outsider who’s housesitting his family’s mansion off the coast, and for reasons Lacey can’t understand, he’s completely transfixed by her. He seems determined to show her that life can offer more than she’d ever hoped for, if only she believes in herself.  She desperately yearns to trust him, but what happens when she finds out that everything he’s told her is a lie? 

Review:

I received this e-book as an ARC on NetGalley from St. Martin's Press and I totally loved this book.
Although, there is not a lot to say without spoiling anything to anyone, Breathe Into Me had my attention from page one.

This is just not any romance book out there, its a story about self discovery, self-appreciation and the journey of finding yourself and the power with in you. The book itself it was so good written, the characters so well developed that I instantly liked the laid back conversations between Lacey and her friends, I could actually relate with Lacey ,I felt her happiness and sorrow ,her ups and downs, because honestly this book is an emotional roller-coaster and the ride is hard.

Coming from a broken home, with a dead father and a retired from life mother Lacey can only help her little brother. As she tries to find a way out of her abusive relationship and her ''friend'', she decides that she needs to change. Coming across Everett helped her a lot and he helped her too.

I loved the conversations between them and I appreciated that the author actually took her time developing their relationship slowly that it was almost a torture but the outcome was rewarding. You can actually see the attraction growing between them and you can actually learn a few things about them because the characters have depth, the have emotions and thoughts and that makes them awesome.

What made this book more interesting was the unexpected plot twist that seriously I didn't see coming, once I thought that everything is perfect bam! everything changes, from then on the book becomes a little more serious and the story comes packed with revelations that will everyone speechless. I was actually turning the pages like crazy.

The ending was really good and although I dont know if we will have a chance to see a second part of Breathe Into Me , I am more than interested to read one.

50 Shades of Grey by E.L James (book review by Eleni)

Author: E.L. James
Release Date: May 25th 2011

Publisher: Vintage
Series: Fifty Shades
Pages: 385
Rating: 4 stars
Buy on: Amazon

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

Review:

   So, I made the mistake and read The Crossfire Trilogy first instead of this one...mmmm...i think i liked the crossfire a lot more because it was so mature and a little more realistic than this one. 

Christian is a psychopath with a lot of anger management and control issues. As for his sexual preferences let me tell you this: I have read a lot more kinky and weird stuff that what is being described in the book. I dont even know how it got the label of weird and sexually twisted or whatever , in my opinion is not that bad. Actually, to me 50 shades is a love story, a little weird but still a love story, i mean you can see how Christian adores Anna. 

The book left me confused and wondering what is the book about. I cant decide if its a story about a guy that likes BDSM or about a guy;s childhood abuse and the impact it had in his adult life and not only. Its not clear and I am interested to find out in the second book or third. It;s not because Ana since day one clarifies that she doesnt want him to go all kinky and shit with her and that she actually wants a 'real relationship'' BUT then she goes all crazy when Christian plays good..so i dont know what the hell the author plans to do. 

The writing is addicting and although its not a great book i couldnt put it down because i really wanted to know what will happen to them as the book progressed. Thus the 4 stars.

50 Shades Darker by E.L. James (book review by Eleni)

Author: E.L. James
Release Date: September 15th 2011
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
Series: Fifty Shades
Pages: 532
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy on: Amazon

Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.
But desire for Christian still dominates her ever waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.
This book is intended for mature audiences

Review:

Okay, this may sound crazy but i liked this book more than the first one and thats rarely a case with me. It seemed more mature and more serious that the first and i think that in this one you get to see the actual relationship between Christian and Anna. 

Although, you will notice the repetitive and often annoying inner goddess and the constantly exlamation of Holy Shit, Holy Crap and all tones of crap and holyness, you will also notice how different the sequel of the series is. 

I liked that you get an insight of Christians fears and demons and how he actually tries to work things out with Anna, he is not a heartless bastard after all. I dont have a lot to add on this one due to the fact that it is an erotica book...but what i want to say is this: Fifty Shades Darker is not BDSM and Disturbing, actually i dont even know how it got this label. I think its just a little more extreme erotica than usual. Anna is such a chicken so she doesnt try out anything and that is lame.

That's all that i have to add on this book.

Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone (book review by Eleni)

Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Release Date: October 8th 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Series: Time Between Us #2
Pages: 368
Rating: 3.5 stars
Buy on: Amazon , Barnes and Noble

Calling Anna and Bennett’s romance long distance is an understatement: she’s from 1995 Chicago and he’s a time traveler from 2012 San Francisco. The two of them never should have met, but they did. They fell in love, even though they knew they shouldn't. And they found a way to stay together, against all odds. 

It’s not a perfect arrangement, though, with Bennett unable to stay in the past for more than brief visits, skipping out on big chunks of his present in order to be with Anna in hers. They each are confident that they’ll find a way to make things work...until Bennett witnesses a single event he never should have seen (and certainly never expected to). Will the decisions he makes from that point on cement a future he doesn't want?

Told from Bennett’s point of view, Time After Time will satisfy readers looking for a fresh, exciting, and beautifully-written love story, both those who are eager to find out what’s next for Time Between Us's Anna and Bennett and those discovering their story for the first time.

Review:

These days its hard to find a really good book to read and lately i have been reading a lot of boring books. I expected a lot from this book due to the fact that the first one was indeed amazing ,this one lacked the enthusiasm of Time Between Us and somehow the narrative seemed slow and boring. Maybe because it was from Bennett;s point of view?

We have the classic love story with the distance of a decade in the middle of everything and that should make the whole plot a lot more intriguing and have more feeling in it but unfortunately I didn;t feel the rush at all. I want a book where I can feel the characters , i want to be able to develop feelings for them and want them to do certain things. In the first installment of the series I couldnt wait to have Bennett and Anna fall for each other, in this one I should have felt the urge to see them together..and I didn't and thats because of the writing.

The plot was great it had a lot of doubt and frustation and sadness but not in the detail a reader should expect..something which ruined the book for me. Other than that it was an okay book , it had equal amount of drama and fun in it ,lots of stupid stuff too and the classic i-dont-want-to-do-this-but-i-have-to-because-you-think-its-right-for-me-to-be-a-{insert word here} . Its a teen book like all the rest and besides the fact that it was boring in a level of apathy i read it because I wanted to see what will happen in the end ,seriously I will read book three because i think it will be great but i pray that someone intervene with the author and make her do some great changes in the development of the characters.

Unteachable by Leah Raeder (book review by Eleni)

Author: Leah Raeder
Publisher: Velvet Pony Press
Release Date: July 27th 2013
Pages: 356
Rating: 5 stars
Buy on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

This novel contains graphic sexual content and strong language. It is intended for mature readers. 

I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.

But I couldn’t run far enough.

I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.

My teacher.

I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.

In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.

And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.

Review:

This book is beautiful..simply and amazingly beautiful. It starts with the main protagonist Maise, being in a carnival during a summer night doing nothing but wander around. Since the first sentence, we know that we have nothing to do with the classic heroine that falls easily in love, that gets excited with boys, we have a cynical, sarcastic, wild and no- fucks- given- girl that the author crafted so carefully I thought Maise was real.Apart from that, the whole plot falls under the category of contemporary and it is a cliche love story but  seriously the first two pages of the book did it for me and I couldn't stop reading until the book was finished.

The writing is so so so mesmerising and the words blend together in a way that makes you want to jump out of your bed ,chair whatever and run the world until you find real love. It's so intoxicating sometimes it hurt. While reading this book I remembered how I acted as a teenager in love , when you fear nothing and no one, you are your true self with no restraints and want nothing more that one person in your life. That's what I consider an amazing book, the ability of the author to make you relate with the characters and the story. 

We dive into a real dysfanctional family with a long gone father and a mother who does nothing more than drink all day and according to Maise *suck her clients dicks in her van for more money* , while Maise has to fend for herself on her own. Her whole personality kind of reminds me of a slut or that is until she meets Evan at the carnival and then in his...classroom. 

The forbidden love makes the whole relationship a lot more interesting and anticipating. Maise starts to change her view of the world and the people around her , Evan is just as cute and broken as her. Although, they both are in love they deal with their problems on their own, they box them up and put them in the back of their heads and those boxes are starting to make a wall so tall and crammed up until everything comes down. I loved the fact that they were understanding of each other no matter their age gap and made their mistakes as a couple and then learned and moved on after forgiving each other.

While they try to be careful with what they do and when there are slip ups and a dark figure obsessed with Maise documents her everyday life. Sneaking in classrooms and making out with your teachers must be a huge dose of adrenaline and recklessness and you lose track of time and place until someone sees you. 

The narrating was in past tense giving the sense that Maise was in a different place and time when she was telling the story and that had an extra bit of biterness and sadness in it, I felt like I could hear the rise and fall of her voice while she was telling me the story. It was so alive. 

The 75% of the book is fast and intimate...like really really intimate. Although, I would like a little more talking between them than raw (sometimes) masochistic sex I liked the sex scenes a lot. 

This is a book about growing up and learning from your mistakes, whether you are 18 or 33 you still make mistakes and you still learn. How a person can change her whole life in just a few months and how she sees things after she finds trust and love to the most forbidden person - her teacher.

Unteachable is the kind of book that I will read again some time soon...really soon. Hope you like it too.

Simply Irresistible - Jill Shalvis book review by Eleni

Author: Jill Shalvis
Release Date: October 1st 2010
Publisher: Forever
Series: Lucky Harbor
Pages: 311
Rating: 4 stars
Buy at: Barnes and Noble , Amazon

Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother—a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career—if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes—and mouth—are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

Review:

This book made me laugh, cry, love and do the same stuff all over again. In other words is a love story about finding yourself and taking control of your life.

I don;t have a lot to say about this book because it is just a cliche love story with a lot of humor. The writing was amazing and the characters were more than just developed. I believe that any reader will be able to find himself in one of the characters.

I loved Jax so much. He is hot, sexy, romantic, understanding and so so so so good it hurts. For a second i thought he was the ultimate boyfriend and made me look at mine with a whole another perspective hahah. What I didnl;t like is that the author made him too good to be true and that is kind of stupid, it felt like he was a superhero with no faults at all.

The whole book itself was a nice experience to me. The description was amazing that I thought I was next to Jax and Maddie walking around Lucky Harbor.

I totally totally recommend this book.

How To Love by Katie Cotugno book review by Eleni

Author: Katie Cotugno
Release Date: October 1st 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 389
Rating: 4 stars
Buy at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

Review:

I AM SO CONFUSED AND CONFLICTED OVER THIS BOOK THAT I KEEP THINKING AND THINKING ABOUT IT.
The book tells the story of Sawyer and Reena two completely different individuals who fall in love and do everything wrong or at least wrong in the eyes of a 20-year old that went through this shit and thought it was right. sigh. 
  Reena was in love with Sawyer since she could remember herself and at the age of 15 - socially awkward and by nature quite sees her best friend hooking up with Sawyer - then life goes to hell.
She stops speaking with her friend and spends 7 months alone working after school and trying to cope with life and heartbreak until Sawyer reaches out to her.
The book is divided in before and after chapters making it totally exciting for the reader (no sarcasm there) to want to read more from the Before and more of the After story. Now here comes the conflict. I don;t know if i hate Sawyer from the Before or I love him because he is an 18 year old that messed everything up for himself and Reena due to personal problems and drugs but he is there every time for her because he loved her. 
Now that I think about it i have an explanation for his actions - it was Reena, because she wanted to leave the shitty town , travel the world and leave Sawyer behind to bear with heartbreak. Eventually he is the one that walks out on her leaving her pregnant (he didn't know) and alone to cope with her religious father and a judgmental town.

The After story is two years later when Reena has a baby and suddenly Sawyer returns from the dead. No one knew where he was or what he did and of course they were not sure if he was alive. She turns her life upside down and the old feelings start to resurface again once she spends a little time with him. She makes some hasty decisions right there and then and goes back to his house for ''dinner'' and she totally loses it when they kiss -so she takes 5 steps back. I hated the After story because the only person that actually showed some kind of emotion was Sawyer and at some point i really really threw the book on the wall because Reena was so stupid. 
The writing makes the reading even more interesting and simply you can;'t put the book down no matter how much you want it to. I loved the characters but I would like to see a little more emotion and a little more of Sawyer. Reena was a Snow Queen with absolutely no expression of emotion and that was really frustrating because -lets all admit it - who likes a character like that?
Otherwise the book is an amazing read that I totally related with the characters and the story itself because as a sketchy teenager I was i went through the same shit- sans the pregnancy - and now I am married to the boy that made my life so interesting and crazy.

Entwined with You by Sylvia Day book review by Eleni

Author: Sylvia Day
Release Date: June 4th 2013
Publisher: Berkley
Series: Crossfire
Pages: 356
Rating: 3.5 stars
Buy at: Barnes and Noble , Amazon

From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn’t resist. I saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside–so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat.

No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I’d been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become.

Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession…


Review:

Finally I finished the Crossfire Series (although it's n0t the last book I wont continue with book number 4).

My personal opinion is, now that I read all 3 books, that Day dragged the story a looootttt. Actually there is not anything really new going on in this book except from the suspect for the death of Nathan. 
Sex is the same, obsession is the same the only thing that kind of changes is where everything takes place and how Eva falls harder for Gideon than ever before and agrees to marry him. 

What I didn't like is that in this installment of the series I didn't have the chance to connect with any of the characters of the book and that was more than just a little disappointing. The only one that I continue to have feelings for is Eva's mother - that bitch needs to die. 

Actually I dont' have anything more to say about this book and if you need more well read the reviews of the first two books - it;s pretty much the same. 

Again I wouldn't recommend this book to someone under the age of 17 due to messed up sexual content.

Reflected In You by Sylvia Day book review by Eleni

Author: Sylvia Day
Publisher: Berkey
Release Date: October 23rd 2012
Pages: 338
Series: Crossfire
Rating: 4
Buy at: Barnes And Noble , Amazon

Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction... my every desire... mine.

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We’d never work. It was too hard, too painful... except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity. 

We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession...

Review:

In the second book of the Crossfire trilogy we have the whole cliche plot...the chaos. The first book was amazing in its own way this one broke my heart even further although I couldnt connect to Eva as I connected to Gideon.

I felt Gideons feelings more in this book than in the first and I think it had to do with his absence. The couple fought all the time that Gideon always left and never came back for days. Both of them are stubborn and stupid but I hated Eva with all my heart in this one.

To be honest the second installation of the book isn't anything great because we all have seen this before (Twilight, Evermore, Fifty Shades etc etc etc) but Day has a way with words that keeps you reading and reading and reading until you reach a point where you say more. This book is a lot more intense and heart breaking than the first one and I wonder that the hell will happen on the third one.

I liked the way she connected things although some of them go unsolved or unmentioned and end up being lost in those snakepits where the reader just asks why did this happen? or what happened to this?

Put this aside you have a good book of sex (hm hm porn) with a little twist of romanticism and sadism (Submissive and the Alpha male), I like that a lot and like a said the way the book is written makes you want more.

To wrap it up, in this boo dont expect anything new its just a book of sex with some spices thrown in and a very good writer to move its strings.
On with the Third One.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen Book Review by Eleni.

Author: Sarah Dessen
Publication Date: June 4th 2013
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 435
Rating: 3.5 stars
Buy at: Barnes and Noble, Amazon

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Review:

     The book for me was a piece of art. Although I am not familiar with Dessen's novels I have to say that she did a great job when it comes to character development and realism.  All the characters have human traits and no one is perfect there is so much diversity that I believe anyone can relate himself to one. Not lot of authors have the ability to do that. 
      There is the girl that cares about all, the b*** who is also sentimental deep down, the overly attached - overly worrying mother and of course the awesome but douche boyfriend and the cool friends and sister. I found all the characters funny and clever (except a certain person who in the end turned 160 around) thus the book has a good sense of humor and i like funny books.
      What I didn't really like was the story. I saw the whole book but I continued reading because I went through a same phase when i was leaving for college a couple of years ago. I liked that Dessen showed how a departure of one person can change not only his life but others too. How everyone is start seeing this person and how they try to figure out how to treat him. As an adult or as a child? Through my experience this is the worst thing that can happen to a parent - the kid wants freedom the parent refuses to see that due to fear of what might change.
   The writing was really really good and I felt like i was walking around Colby and i liked that a lot!!!
I am sure the book will appeal to anyone that is ready to leave for college and also likes summer readings.