Stephanie Parent, Reader and Writer

4.5 starsThis review is going to be in list form! While I loved this book, there were a few things that bugged me, so let me get those out of the way first...1. Camryn's preoccupation with the idea of being a "slut"--this definitely wasn't as emphasized as in other books I've read, but it was there, and I'm never a fan of it. Yes, she did overcome this by the time the book ended...but I still felt Cam was contrasted with more overtly "slutty" female characters, and I wasn't crazy about that.2. I felt that for such a major event, Camryn's brother being in jail wasn't dealt with in enough depth. I would have preferred to either spend more time learning about this and how it affected Camryn, or take it out entirely--Cam had enough drama in her life without it!3. For those of you who've read the book, the big Thing that happens in the last 10%...I'm not a doctor, but I'm not sure it was realistic for it to become so serious out of nowhere...I feel like there would have been more physical symptoms earlier on?4. This one is silly, but I was so mad at Cam for drinking herself sick and wasting an entire day on her trip. The whole point of the trip was to do things out of the box, and drinking yourself sick on a vacay is about one of the most cliche things you can do!Okay, now for the things I loved...this list isn't complete, and most of these may take less words to describe than the negatives, but they are absolutely just as important!1. The music--the classic rock, the bluesy stuff in New Orleans, the song Cam introduces Andrew to...2. The Orpheus and Eurydice motif.3. The...uh...hotter stuff. I copy edit romance novels, and it is REALLY easy to go bad when you get more explicit. I thought the author did an excellent job in this one!4. The voice. It was very smooth, fun, and easy to read, with the occasional beautiful description or image worked in at just the right moment.5. The letter--I didn't cry, but it was close!6. The way Cam's friendship with Natalie was resolved.7. The message of not letting what other's think hold you back.And on that note...I will try not to worry too much about what others will think of this review, and will now hit "publish"!