Must-read romance: 'Start of Me and You,' 'Soaring Through Stars,' 'Summer by Summer'
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
What it's about (from publisher Bloomsbury):
It's been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school ... and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she's back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it's high school after all. But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?
Why you should read it: Tissues, please. Seriously, readers: This. Book!
It's been a long while since I've read a contemporary YA romance that struck me as so real, so tender, and so much bigger — emotionally — than the majority of its shelf mates. The Start of Me and You is a story that invites the reader into friendship with the characters and then forcefully and beautifully impacts that reader's full range of emotion, without wringing the heart dry. Instead, you leave this story tearful, but brimming with hope and the satisfaction that you've just experienced something unutterably ... true.
Resounding with emotional authenticity and empathetic characters, The Start of Me and You is so much more than a high school romance; it's a celebration of the powerful bond of true friendship and of the determination to not only survive great loss, but to grow as a result of it. A rich reading experience with a well-crafted love story that will melt your heart a dozen different ways, The Start of Me and You is a book you do not want to miss.
Soaring through Stars by Rajdeep Paulus
What it's about (from publisher Birch House Press):
Talia and Jesse Vanderbilt have escaped a childhood full of abuse, and when they have a chance to put their father behind bars, setbacks arise from every direction. The siblings can't help but consider the option to walk away and move on with their lives.
Then someone unexpected brings his own secrets, forcing the Vanderbilt teens to revisit their pasts and rethink their plans. Through it all, Lagan and Talia's Post-it love story blossoms, while Jesse and Summer hit roadblocks.
From the award-winning author of Swimming Through Clouds and Seeing Through Stones comes a powerful story of freedom and belonging in this final book of the young adult trilogy that began with an invitation on a little Post-it note.
Why you should read it: It is the rare author who can end an emotionally compelling trilogy with the same resounding truth from which it was formed, but turned inside out. In Soaring through Stars, book three in the Swimming Through Clouds series, Rajdeep Paulus does exactly that. Crafting her characters' inner growth at a believable and often heart-wrenching pace across the series, this final book extends an exquisite peace to hearts where extreme fear used to dwell. The tenderness with which this talented author approaches the subjects of abuse, isolation, escape and the healing power of love will not leave you unmoved. Tears will be shed over this series, this book, but when you turn that final page, you — like Talia, Jesse and everyone who loved them beyond their pain — will be changed.
This series should be on the shelves of every American high school and a feature of every YA/NA book club, that it might open doors for discussion that could effect change and give hope to the thousands of Talias and Jesses out there in the world. Soaring through Stars is a beautiful, perfect ending to a truly exceptional series that will take up much more space in your heart than it does on your keeper shelf. Don't miss this one.
Summer by Summer by Heather Burch
What it's about (from publisher Blink):
When Summer took a job as a nanny for a couple vacationing in Belize, she imagined it would be a fresh start before starting college in the fall. And while she adores her charge, Josh, she can't say the same for her employers' oldest son, Bray. He's cocky, inconsiderate, and makes her feel she's a chore he has to put up with. In short, he's everything she dislikes in a guy.
Bray had a plan for the summer: party, hang out with friends, and forget all the responsibilities waiting for him back home. But every time he's forced to be around Summer, her dour, serious mood sets him off. Not to mention she has a habit of picking up on what he already knows is wrong with him.
Then the two find themselves on a dive trip gone wrong, stranded on a remote island. As they focus on survival, their differences melt away, and they find being together may be what both needed all along.
Why you should read it: There's a bit of a 10 Things I Hate About You-vibe to the modified meet-cute between smart, middle-class Summer and cocky, privileged Bray. You just know these two have to end up together, but since you are in both characters' points of view, you're invested in their reasons for disliking the other right away — and you can hardly wait to be a part of whatever transformations become necessary for them to realize they're meant to be.
When stranded together in a desperate situation, each character's strengths and weaknesses emerge, sparking an unwelcome attraction and more than a little page-turning heat! Even so, tenderness defines even the most emotionally charged and sexually tense moments, adding depth and truth this budding romance. As Summer and Bray discover who they truly are, they connect on a soul-deep level where disdain transforms into respect, then affection, then love. Sweetly.
Combining the heartfelt prose of her bestselling contemporary romance One Lavender Ribbon with the YA-savvy pace of her Halflings series, Heather Burch has penned a harrowing contemporary adventure, forcing two vastly different people to grow up fast — or die trying — as they fall in love. Highly recommended!
A writer, performer and accomplished partaker of dark chocolate, Serena Chase lives in Iowa with her husband and two daughters. Her Eyes of E'veria series — The Ryn, The Remedy and The Seahorse Legacy — is out now. You can find out more about her at serenachase.com.