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August 25, 2014

Review: Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Two-Way Street
There are two sides to every breakup.
This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.
Summer, road trips, romance, new beginnings, and a dark secret that can change your life = Two Way Street. If you're looking for the perfect summer read, this would be the next book you should pick up; it's a quick read, but some of the twists will feel really unexpected. You're emotions are going to be in a twist, and that oh-so-emotionally confused feeling will follow you with each page *just a warning, expect to have a release of a bundle of emotions.*There were definitely moments of fangirling, but overall it's one of those comfy, lay in a hammock, under a tree kind of book.

So you've got his perfect couple, Jordan and Courtney, they're going to college together and basically have their life planned out. But with an unexpected breakup, and new romance (sorta?) their relationship is as heated and confusing as can be. Now, both of them have to figure out a way to stand each other as they travel the whole east coast on their way to college in Boston.

I'll be honest, I might have been a tad annoyed by Courtney- though she was this simple girl, who did what she was told, and worked hard, she just seemed over dramatic...though that might just be me thinking that- I tend to have moments where I judge characters more. She grew on me though, as I continued to ride in the back seat of their car (not literally of course, but Barnholdt did a fantastic job making you feel like you were right there in the car with both, Jordan and Courtney). With the alternating simultaneous perspectives you ended up getting a full picture of what was going on. I guess that's how I became more empathetic to both Jordan and Courtney. Fine, I'll be honest I never really disliked Jordan. Yea, he broke up with Courtney, but that's life...sometimes you meet other people, or situations happen and you have to end it. So initially I just considered Courtney melodramatic and Jordan was just this normal teenage guy, who just met someone else.

As great as those two are, I have to say their best friends are even better. They made Two Way Street light, fun, and had the comic relief the book really needed. They balanced out the seriousness and had me LOLing throughout the book. They were very quirky characters, and basically that movie best friend to the normal person (everyone needs a weird person in their life, right? So, why not your best friend).

With the end of summer approaching, I would suggest you pick up this book soon. It's a great summer romance, and road trip contemporaries are always fun! I would suggest this book to people who enjoyed In Honor by Jessi Kirby or Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.

Rate: 4/5


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