Just Because: [Blog Tour] [Review] You Can Go Your Own Way

YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY by Eric Smith

On sale: November 2, 2021

ISBN: 978-1335405685

Inkyard Press

Teen & Young Adult; Romance

$18.99 / $23.99 CAN

336 Pages

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A sweetly charming love story that leaves the reader with a lasting sense of hope.” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star

"The perfect novel to snuggle up with.” —Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read

No one ever said love would be easy…but did they mention it would be freezing?

Adam Stillwater is in over his head. At least, that’s what his best friend would say. And his mom. And the guy who runs the hardware store down the street. But this pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.

Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got here. Her parents split up. Her boyfriend dumped her. Her friends seem to have changed overnight. And now she’s spending her senior year running social media for her dad’s chain of super successful gaming cafés—which mostly consists of trading insults with that decrepit old pinball arcade across town.

But when a huge snowstorm hits, Adam and Whitney suddenly find themselves trapped inside the arcade. Cut off from their families, their worlds, and their responsibilities, the tension between them seems to melt away, leaving something else in its place. But what happens when the storm stops?

REVIEW:

Adam still can't move on from his father's death. And because of that he resists allowing his mother to sell the pinball arcade that was his father's dream. Even as the machines start to break, he'll do anything to fix everything and make it so the father of his ex-best friend Whitney can't buy the place. It gets to a point Whitney and he starts a war online, even though none them really mean what they are saying.

3.5 rounding up to 4.

This is your usual romantic comedy of former friends turned enemies turned lovers, and it will be the comfort you need.

The narration is shared between the two, but my favorite parts were Whitney's. It was cute how much Adam knew about pinball and it even made me resurrect that old game that used to come with Windows (though real pinball is very different), but his ramblings tired me out pretty fast. It wasn't only pinball, as I had a similar impression from Whitney's parts, but this book is very wordy. It was still a quick read, but there were lots of sentences and even paragraphs there I would have cut if I were the editor.

Still, I like how the romance developed. They start from a point you're not even considering they're supposed to become a couple eventually (according to the holy laws of YA), but it's easy to believe when they do get together. They're a cute couple. I do think we could have had more cute moments, I can't remember one that really got me swooning. And yet, their shared scenes were heartwarming (pun intended, since the low temperature is a key plot point).

I've read a book by Eric Smith before, and I know he be more intense. However, this was a nice read I can recommend to any fan of contemporary YA. Also, if you've also read Don't Read the Comments, there's an Easter egg there for you. I probably won't remember You Can Go Your Own Way as much, but at times like these, it was a lovely escape (also a great way to learn about Philly), and that's what I mostly look for in YA books.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by the publisher for the blog tour through Netgalley. Many thanks for this opportunity.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

ERIC SMITH is an author and literary agent from Elizabeth, New Jersey. When he isn't working on other people's books, sometimes he tries to write his own. He enjoys pop punk, video games, and crying during every movie. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and best friend, Nena, and their son, Langston. WWW.ERICSMITHROCKS.COM

Social Links:

Author website: https://www.ericsmithrocks.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericsmithrocks

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ericsmithrocks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55920774-you-can-go-your-own-way

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Your-Own-Way/dp/1335405682

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-can-go-your-own-way-eric-smith/1138256191

Books a Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781335405685?AID=10747236&PID=7651142&cjevent=c39c9d3b5dee11eb83ba01ab0a240614

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335405685

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/you-can-go-your-own-way/9781335405685

AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/you-can-go-your-own-way/id1540270939