Meli Mel's Book Reviews

♥♥♥ 3 STARS ♥♥♥

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“You’re my unexpectedly phenomenal, Chloe. You’re my red-letter day.”

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As soon as I read the blurb of this, I was intrigued by the road trip story line. Chloe is an eighteen year old girl whose life has been anything but perfect. She has promised herself to never let anyone close, because of a fear she has that involves her family history. As a result, she decides that she will go on a road trip on her own when she graduates. Blake can understand about having an imperfect life. He feels like he is being pulled in two different directions when it comes to his future. He has to choose between doing what he loves, which is basketball, or listening to his father and continuing the family tradition of enlisting into the army.

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“If I could dream the same dream a million times over, it would be you—you would be my last kiss, my last breath.”

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The book begins with Chloe and Blake meeting. Blake is drawn to her, but I will admit it was hard for me to feel any connection between them. It was hard for me to see how Blake could like Chloe. She kept pushing him away, yet he continued to pursue her. I also didn't like how indecisive he was and that he came across as a pushover. The story didn't go as I thought it would go. The actual road trip was rather short, and it happens closer to the end of the book, which I was a bit disappointed about. Both characters, being as young as they were, did make some mistakes and I can totally understand that. But, they really frustrated me during many times throughout the book. I did manage to like to like Blake as the book went on, he was such a sweet hero who melted me with the things he said and did. Plus, he finally stood up for himself. Chloe, however, I just couldn't connect to because of her inconsistency. I didn't really like her 'I-give-up-to-fate-attitude' that she had going on. I didn't get why she couldn't have tried more to prevent what she feared so much. I also didn't like how she treated Blake at times.

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“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.”

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The story itself was alright, and definitely had some potential. There were many times that it felt kind of slow and just felt like it was dragging one. There were also parts where it didn't flow very well. Some parts of the story and things that the characters did that didn't make too much sense to me. I just could not fully understand Chloe and how her behaviour would change so quickly. The book did pick up a bit near the end. I did like the supportive secondary characters in this book. I am happy they both had that loving support system in their lives. Overall, the book had a few flaws. It wasn't my favourite Jay McLean book, especially after reading and loving her More Than Series, but I still managed to enjoy it somewhat. And Blake made things better, too.



~ARC gifted to Kris & Vik Book Therapy Cafe in exchange for an honest review.~




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