Jolene Timber’s life is nothing like the movies she loves—not the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because she’s been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each other’s throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love she’s starving for.
Forced to spend every other weekend in the same apartment building, the boy who thinks forgiveness makes him weak and the girl who thinks love is for fools begin an unlikely friendship. The weekends he dreaded and she endured soon become the best part of their lives. But when one’s life begins to mend while the other’s spirals out of control, they realize that falling in love while surrounded by its demise means nothing is ever guaranteed. (Pub Date: Jan 07, 2020)
This story was deep and very far from cute and funny. It's a 3.5 but deserving of the round up to 4 stars.
Adam had his life turned upside down again two years after his oldest brother's death, when his father decided to move out. He and his remaining brother needs to visit his run-down apartment complex every other weekend and Adam still hasn't reconciled with what his father did to the family. But these visits aren't so bad now he's met Jolene, another kid from separated parents who visits every other weekend.
I confess I was ready for angst but I didn't think the plot would go so deep. This is not written to be a tear-jerker, but it's still about the sad reality of a family torn down by death.
If I had to point something I really didn't like, that was Adam himself. He wasn't written to be liked. He's bitter and he's still a teenager, not totally in control of his own feelings and much less of how to express them. Still, he was such a brat from the beginning to the end... And poor Jolene, I admire this writer's courage to write in a character facing these many troubles. She had so many, and serious ones, I wondered how healthy this relationship was. I wanted to scream to the couple to just get treatment, because the two needed. Especially Jolene. Her situation really got me worried, as you may have noticed, lol.
This story felt real to a point I was breathless during some parts, even though there weren't any scenes that intense. The irksome bits were really on a psychological level.
My last issue with the book was more toward the end, with their neighbor. There was already enough going on, so I wonder why the writer felt the need to add salt to the hurt. I think the plot could have survived without it. I can't say what it is, but still I'm not fond of having this kind of violence unless it's essential, and not simply because it's a trigger.
In any case, this is a book for those into something less cute-ish. The main couple is still cute together, but their problems are so raw, that rarely goes through your mind while reading.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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