Author: KatherineArlene

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

What I liked about this book:

This was like, the second or third book I picked up on Wattpad, and remains one of my favorites. This is all the more impressive because it's a genre I typically do not associate with my favorite books. Normally I like fantasy and grit. This is a realistic historical fiction book set in the 50s, about characters in their early teens.

I loved this book. It's light, it's charming, and it's adorable. Katherine took a genre I usually am not partial to (but have nothing against) and crafted a book out of it that I read the whole way through. I love Marty. I love Jess. I love their interactions and I loved watching them grow over the course of the book.

There was a hint of realism there too, with Marty's relationship with his father, and Jess's uncle Jonathan being the hulking, unpleasant figure that he is. There was even a multiple-chapter period where Jess wouldn't so much as hug Marty because she had gotten the impression that's how girls get pregnant due to an unfortunate sex ed talk. It's all very realistically crafted. There's no sudden change of heart in people that are actually terrible (even if they are human), and actions have consequences.

What I did NOT like about this book:

Again, honestly, not a whole lot. I feel like I want to see a sequel I know I'm not going to get because Katherine is done torturing them. I wish that Jonathan had seen the errors in his ways, but it's realistic that he didn't. The entire thing spans multiple years, which is an incredibly hard thing to pull off, so I can't knock it for pacing either. 

I kind of wish Marty had smartened up a little faster, and Jess had learned to stand up to her uncle sooner, but all of these are complaints about the characters themselves that made perfect sense in context.

Overall:

Fantastic book in a genre I usually am neutral about, I wound up falling in love with it.

Rating: 

9/10. I can't find anything I strongly dislike about it, really.