Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Release date: February 3, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Pages: 388
Goodreads || Book Depository
If Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing separating Skylar from art school is three months of summer…until Skylar’s mother loses her job, and Skylar realizes her dreams may be slipping out of reach.
Josh had a different escape route: the Marines. But after losing his leg in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be.
What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and, soon, something deeper.
Compelling and ultimately hopeful, this is a powerful examination of love, loss, and resilience.
MY THOUGHTS
I honestly have no idea why I waited so long to read this book because it was absolutely amazing and is now one of my favourite contemporary YA novels ever. It had a good balance of romance, family and friendship elements, which is a formula for success when it comes to contemporaries for me.
This book is set in a very small town in California. Skylar lives in a trailer with her mother who is an alcoholic and won’t stop drinking, even though her husband died in a car accident while drunk driving. Skylar has just graduated high school and cannot wait for the summer to end, when she can finally go to art school in San Francisco and escape her suffocating small town. But when her mother is fired from the only job she’s ever had, things go downhill and suddenly Skylar’s future is no longer clear. Enter Josh, a previous colleague of Skylar’s at her job at the Paradise motel. He’s back from fighting in Afghanistan, with one less leg than he had when he left…
It was like the whole town was swimming in failure, but no one realized they were drowning.
I was very impressed with how many themes and elements Heather Demetrios managed to explore in this book. And none of these themes were glossed over. Each and every one of them were given enough page-time to be thoroughly explored and I really appreciated how well it was done. I’ll Meet You There explores some very common YA contemporary themes, like alcoholism and small-town-suffocation (I totally made that up, but it’s now a thing), in a completely novel and different way. I never got the sense that I was reading something that I’ve read a million times before. It felt very unique and special and I enjoyed every single page of the story. The novel also explores PTSD, which is something that we’re seeing increasingly often but I have to say that this was one of the best PTSD stories that I’ve ever read. It felt incredibly realistic and even though I don’t know what it’s like to be have PTSD or be in a situation where everyday things could trigger panic attacks or high anxiety, I felt like I knew Josh and I knew how his experiences in Afghanistan have affected him.
I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Skylar was a wonderful protagonist and I couldn’t believe how strong and resilient she was, in the face of everything she was going through. She’s pretty much taking care of her mother, who is on the path to self-destruction. They’re both relying on Skylar’s income from working at the motel and Skylar just wants to make sure that her mother has a job and is able to take care of herself before she moves to San Francisco. Skylar definitely surprised me with how resilient she was. If I had to go through everything she went through in this book, I would’ve broken down much, much earlier. Her mother behaved in ways that I couldn’t imagine any mother behaving and she just didn’t seem to have her daughter’s best interests at heart. The family arc in this book was incredibly hard to read and honestly pretty upsetting at times. I was really proud that Skylar decided to take some time just for herself and put some distance between herself and her mother’s problems. I really admired her maturity when it came to making decisions.
Josh was a character that I also loved. There were short chapters that were written from his point of view and I thought they were really interesting. They allowed me to get to know Josh a little bit more and I loved that we got to see into his head and get a sense of how his experience in Afghanistan had affected and changed him, physically and mentally. I also thought it was interesting that Skylar and Josh knew each other previously and that Josh used to be a bit of a jerk and had a reputation of being a player. It really added a different dimension to his character and transformed him into a really complex character.
The romance was probably my favourite aspect of the book. There was so much to love about this book but I thought the relationship between Skylar and Josh was just so realistic and moving. They become attracted to each other quite early in the book but the romance itself was a bit of a slow burn. It developed at a very natural pace and nothing felt rushed or dragged out. Everything just happened in a really realistic way and it was impossible not to feel connected to Skylar and Josh as they figured out their feelings for each other. I loved how much they relied on each other and supported each other throughout the book. Josh helped Skylar through her issues with her mother and was just there to listen when she needed to talk. And in return, Skylar helped Josh come to terms with his traumatic experience in Afghanistan. She never let him use the war and his experiences as an excuse, which was exactly what Josh needed.
And of course, there were a lot of great friendship elements. Skylar and Josh’s relationship wasn’t just a romantic one. Their relationship was first and foremost a friendship that turned into something more. But this book also explored Skylar’s friendships with her best friends, Chris and Dylan. They were always there for her when she needed a friend and needed advice. I loved their role in the book and I thought their friendships were so heartwarming.
I wanted to have the perfect words to tell him how he’d been family, how I wouldn’t be who I was without him and how my life was a collage of memories and he was in every one.
And finally, I absolutely loved the writing in this book. It was very impactful and I could quote from this book for days and days. Heather Demetrios just writes the most wonderful stories and I’ve enjoyed both her contemporary and fantasy stories because of the beautiful writing and storytelling.
Let me give you a list of of books with romance, family, and friendship, and see how you fair with your “winning formula”. Ceebs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t disregard the “good balance” part. (And seriously, is the ceebs thing catching?)
LikeLike
You made me want to read it now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You totally should. I couldn’t stop myself when I was writing this review because I had so many good things to say about it!
LikeLike
Oooh, I’ve been seeing this book every now and then, but your review is pushing me to pick it up! I’ll definitely need to read this when I’m in my next contemporary mood. Great review! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely pick it up! People have been telling me to read this for ages and I kept putting it off but it’s so good! Don’t hesitate any longer! Haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is absolutely one of my favorite books of all-time and I’m so so so happy you loved it as much as I did. I completely agree with everything you said. Heather Demetrios was able to balance all the themes so well. And the romance! ❤ SWOON!
I need to re-read it at some point this year.
Beautiful review, Jenna!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heather Demetrios has definitely become one of my favourite authors. Her fantasy and contemporary books have been equally impressive and I can’t wait to read more from her!
LikeLike
Great review! 🙂 I’ve been wanting to read this book and I finally bought a copy! I can’t wait to read it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
YAY! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this. I will forever be spreading the love for this book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m reading this one this month and now I’m excited!
LikeLiked by 1 person
YAY! I hope you enjoyed it, if you’ve read it already 😀 I loved it so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review ! I want to read it now 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
You should definitely check this one out! it’s got wonderful PTSD elements and a fantastic romance!
LikeLiked by 1 person
YAAAY!! I am so, so, so happy you loved this book. I will never not push someone to read this book because I just love how raw the emotions were. With all the theme’s explored in this book not once did I feel like the situation was being over exaggerated and unrealistic. It’s truly a testament to Demetrios’ writing that I felt so much. The snippets from Josh’s POV had me so emotional and that final scene by the train tracks set off those waterworks. Josh and Skyler definitely deserve their happily ever after and I am desperate to find out what the letter Josh wrote to Sky says.
Now you have to get on to reading her other book, Something Real haha. 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am surprised that I haven’t been able to find that letter floating around somewhere on the internet. It’s like the world’s best kept secret! I want to know sooooo badly what was in that letter T_T. Thanks for pushing this book so many times because it was absolutely amazing and I loved it so much. Definitely one of my favourites of the year so far! I will definitely be picking up Something Real really soon!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am making it my mission to find that letter. Someone is bound to have posted it somewhere. I need to know what it says. My shippers heart demands it.
LikeLike
Ahaha so glad you liked this one Jenna. Maybe I’ll give it another chance over summer. I picked it up last year at BN and couldn’t get past the first couple of chapters… 😛 There goes Aila, being all picky with her contemporaries again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It definitely gets much better as the book progresses! You need to give this a second chance! It was AMAZING.
LikeLike
I completely agree with everything you’ve said Jenna! This is such a powerful and well-written story and I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I need to push this book on to everyone now! It was so beautifully written and conceptualised and I can’t imagine anyone not loving this one!
LikeLike
Yayyyy Jenna I’m so glad you found another contemporary that you absolutely LOVED! I’ve heard great things about this one so I’ve got it on hold at the library – the romance sounds absolutely beautiful with how it develops and they both sound like they have quite a bit to work through. Lovely review Jenna!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You definitely need to read this one Jeann! It was sooo good and I will now be pushing this one on to everyone. I hope you can get your hands on this one soon because as soon as you get it, I’ll be pressuring you to read it. Definitely one of my favourites of this year so far!
LikeLike
I loved this book! Which is incredibly surprising because it was one of the only contemporaries I read last year, and I don’t usually read contemporary. I think what really got to me was Skylar’s selflessness. She cared a lot about her mother’s life more than her own (even though it made me sad because I didn’t want her to suffer from small town-suffocation, haha).
Awesome review Jenna! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah I was so affected by how selfless Skylar was. She was so caring towards her mother even though she was being treated like crap. I was so happy that she decided to get away from that toxic atmosphere and look after herself. And Josh was so great to her ❤ I NEED TO REREAD THIS RIGHT NOW!
LikeLike