Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head.
After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen-year-old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.
While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.
An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.
Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.
I just want to make a small comment that the book I have features a different cover than shown here, but I love this cover SO much more. It speaks far more about the book than a shirtless guy with washboard abs. Sure, that's nice to look at and maybe is what makes you choose the book, but I think this cover speaks more about the story.
Anyways.
I'm actually going to give this book 5 stars and it isn't because the story is so amazingly written or because it has some greater message you carry with you. I'm giving it 5 stars because this book really captures what it's like to be a teenage girl, interested in boys but not sure what to do, all of the awkwardness of "Is he my boyfriend or not? Does he want to be?", and losing your virginity. I smiled through this entire book because I remember what all of that feels like, what the butterflies in your stomach feel like when you like a boy, or when you make a decision that changes your life. I might be an old lady at 35 with significant memory loss, but that's something seared into your brain.
The book starts with Edie walking into a regular ol' gas station, stocking up on snacks for a sleep over with her friend, who is outside waiting in the car. Edie is all of us who didn't have a boyfriend in high school but had a best friend was as good or better than a boy, anyways. Enter Chris, obvious meth addict, who decides he's going to rob the store. That alone would be scary and traumatizing, but the rest of what happens in that store that day shapes who Edie is. She meets John, her would be savior, and though he's the neighborhood bad boy, the incident shapes who he is as well, and he decides to turn his life around.
Through several turn of events, Edie finds herself starting over at a new school.. that John attends. They eventually strike up a friendship and Edie starts on a little streak of rebellion. John helps her through that, constantly her savior. I can't.. tell you all what happens next but you have to know,
I LOVED EVERY WORD OF IT.
I devoured this book in a weekend, I literally could not stop myself. I know Edie could have been an annoying character but I loved her so much because she reminds me of myself at that age. I also loved John so much and if I were a high school girl, that would be the boy I'd be drawn to as well.
I cannot tell you enough how much I loved this book. This is the second book I've read by Kylie Scott and if I had money, I'd be ordering every single one of her books right now so I could devour them.
Although we know Edie does lose her virginity in the book, I honestly would be OK letting my teenager read this. Mostly because I know as a teen I read far dirtier books than this, I wouldn't blink an eye to this in my kids' shelf. Wrong? Maybe. It's not geared for teens, but I think a lot of the topics in the book are things modern teens can relate to. Just sayin.
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