I devoured Heather Demetrios' latest in one session. This book is really on the cusp between YA and New Adult for me, but without the high angst emotional horror ride that is usually the hallmark of New Adult. Instead this a splendid tale of a summer of growing up, healing, and discovery between two tough cookie characters that I adored.

Skylar is recently graduated, counting the minutes before she can leave for art school in San Francisco. She has one more summer working at the quirky Paradise Motel and she is outta there. But rough circumstances for her mother (alcoholism, crappy new boyfriend, loss of her Taco Bell job) make Skylar doubt she'll ever really escape after all.

Josh is back, sans a leg, from his tour of duty in Afghanistan. He lost a lot more than his leg - many of his squad mates, his job as a Marine, and any hope he had of leaving Creek View. He returns to his job as maintenance man at the Paradise, and realizes his former coworker Skylar may be the hope he is looking for, even if she once made out with his brother.


I know, sounds pretty standard, but I cheered Skylar and Josh on at every step. This was not a story who's drama rested on lies between the characters (so often in NA) but instead focused on real word problems that a lot of teens and young adults face. Josh and Skylar are both hard working and willing to accept consequences for their actions. Their attraction to each other felt real, un-rushed (no insta-love here), and when it went through crisis it was handled amazingly. Skylar wasn't presented as an innocent angel, but instead as a real young lady who has had some experience with the physical and knows what she is and isn't looking for.

There were also great sub-characters who felt as fleshed out as the mains.

Anyway, I loved this, and I'll recommending this to many friends.

Seeing as I devoured this book in one session and am currently up at 3am, I'd say yeah, I loved it.
Realistic, mature, and fantastic. A better review to come.