Recommended Read!
“Even if you don’t normally read YA you should give this one a try.”
~ Under the Covers
This is Sarina Bowen’s first YA novel and I had no problem jumping genres with her because I always enjoy her books. There were a lot of things that I really liked about this book but especially the fact that it wasn’t solely focused on the romance. This story really gave us the character growth of 17 year old Rachel. She had a lot to learn about her past, about who she was, and find her place in life. And yes, that included a love interest, but there was a lot more to it than just the romance and for that I was really grateful.
Rachel just lost her mother to cancer. Her whole life she’s never “met” her father but she’s known he was a famous musician. On her deathbed, her mother asks the social worker to contact her father so that Rachel can have someone to look out for her. And this is the first time they ever meet. At the same time as Rachel is heading off to a new school, they have to deal with all the baggage between them and find a way to be a family.
Ms. Bowen put the right amount of emotion in this book without feeling like it was a drag to read. It also didn’t hit me in the feels as much as I expected it to, but it felt oddly uplifting instead. I was happy that we got a mostly mature teenager main character. She has the insecurities you would expect from the life she’s had to live. I enjoyed seeing that growth process and came to care for her.
Then there’s Jake. Because lets not forget there is a romance and a love interest. While I was happy to see all the family dynamics between Rachel and her father, it was the moments with Jake that made me swoony. He’s really the perfect guy. Hot nerd alert! So incredibly thoughtful and sweet to an extreme that he can only be fictional. I can see many people adding him to their book boyfriends lists.
The setting and the musical theme running through the background of this story, along with the family history of the town some of it it’s set in really gave this story a lot of character. Even if you don’t normally read YA you should give this one a try. I enjoyed it a lot and I can’t wait to see more of this genre from Sarina Bowen.
What did you think of our review?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!
[about-author author=”Sarina Bowen”]
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This reminds me of the movie save the last dance….sounds cute.
Great review Francesca!! Sounds like a good read! Shared on all my socials!!
I got this one for my 12 year old daughter. It seemed up her alley and it hits a library teen reading program requirement. I’m glad it got a good review. I will definitely have her read it soon.
Thanks for the review, this is on my TBR pile.
I just read this and loved it. I don’t usually read YA but I’m a big fan of pretty much anything Sarina writes so I gave it a go. I’m so glad I did.
I haven’t read any books by this author yet, but I have several of her books now on my to-read list. I just bought a copy of this one when it released as it sounds like a good read. Good to know it’s a bit emotional, but mostly reads very uplifting. Great review!
Thanks for the rec Francesca, looking forward to reading it