"I'll Meet You There" - Heather Demetrios

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Today's review is the second book I have finished as part of the Clean Slate Read-a-thon. I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios was part of the FYA book club that I am in. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish it at the time and boy do I regret that now! What. A. Book. I started the book last night, and once again, didn't put it down until I finished. Finishing a book like this is so bittersweet. Oh book ache....

If seventeen-year-old 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 standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off 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 dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

I loved this book. The characters. The relationships. The plot line. The hopes and dreams. Everything. Simple as that. I felt I could resonant on many levels with parts of all the characters. Growing up in a small town, same friends since preschool, and all the feelings that come with the summer before college, I harbored all those sentiments about getting out and away for college and beyond.  Then there was Skylar and Josh. My oh my! I loved all aspects of them. The back and forth. The worries and concerns they both had. The building of the relationship from friends to more. And then the final debate, will be together or is it too much for either of them to take on? The book came together really well. It brings to light issues a lot high school and college aged kids are facing, especially the military aspect of the book. Demetrios researched a great deal to perfectly portray how young kids are dealing with PTSD, missing limbs, and all aspects of life after coming home from war and the struggles they face. Great book! I highly recommend it! As always, feel free to share any comments, suggestions, or recommendations. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading fools :)