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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 received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
As I sit down to write this review words seem to be lacking to explain how I feel about I’ll Meet You There. You see, I loved Demetrios’ first book Something Real like hardcore. I loved the concept and the characters and the writing. It was a pretty fantastic book. So going into I’ll Meet You There I was nervous. Excited, but nervous. I didn’t want to compare the two books as I knew they were completely different, but sometimes you can’t help worrying in your head that you will. Well rest well my reading friends, not once did I compare the two because I’ll Meet You There was amazing all on its own. Whether this was Demetrios’ first book, second or 390th, it was so beautifully good and poignant and emotional. It hit me deep and hard and I loved it.
I’ll Meet You There is about Josh and Skylar, two broken kids from small town USA. They both had dreams of leaving their Podunk town Creek View, Josh by the way of the Marines and Skylar by a college scholarship. Josh originally made it out and fought in Afghanistan only to end up right back in Creek View with one less leg. Skylar on the other hand was on her way out, she had a college scholarship and was headed to a city in CA. But when Sky’s mom loses her job she is faced with the possibility of not going anywhere. Both working at a funky motel called The Paradise, Josh and Skylar are about to have a summer they never planned on that not only can change their futures, but maybe even who they are inside.
Demetrios really hit me with this book on a level I wasn’t expecting. Sure I was nervous about it, but I knew it would be good. I just didn’t think I would feel like I did. I didn’t think I would cry like I did. Josh and Skylar were so perfectly flawed and heartbreaking. I just ached for them for different reasons. I wanted to hug them both and tell them it would be okay, that life wouldn’t always be so hard. I was 100% invested in their stories and I did want everything to be okay.
First you have Skylar, this girl that grew up way too fast. She was only a high school graduate but seemed older than me at times. She had a lot on her shoulders and was afraid to let any of it go. Her mother was not a support, her best fiends had their own problems and all Sky wanted was out. She was willing to give up her dreams for others and that just killed me. Then you have Josh. Marine through and through. He lived for fighting for his country. And in a blink of an eye it was taken from him. Now he was back in a place he left behind with more demons than anyone could guess. He was so broken and yet he fought and tried. He screwed up and got scared and pushed people away, but he stayed.
This book killed me with feels. Between Josh and Skylar, the hardships the side characters faced or the awesome owner of The Paradise, and The Paradise itself(read this book for no other reason than the motel!) I was a mess of emotion. And yet I walked away loving every single thing I felt and read. It was like Something Like Normal meets The Sea of Tranquility in a way I could never explain. All that I can really say is thank you Heather Demetrios for giving me something that I can feel your heart and soul in and for touching my heart and soul with your words. I have ordered this book for no less than 4 people and I implore you to do the same. It is worth the cost of admission and more!
Looooooved this book so much!
I’ve been hearing AMAZING things about this one, and I need to read it. I have Something Real out from the library right now, too, and I’m excited (though a little nervous) to read that one.
So glad that you loved this. I hope I will, too.
I know you’ve been really excited about this book since you got an arc so I’m happy to hear it lived up to your expectations. I have to say I find the idea of a motel as the backdrop very intriguing.
[…] A HUGE thank you to Heather and Macmillan for this amazing blog tour experience. You can read my review of I’ll Meet You There HERE. […]
This book sort of snuck up on me. I didn’t really how totally emotionally invested I was until I was already overwhelmed by emotion. It was just so wonderful. I really need to read Something Like Normal (I know, I know!) I have been good at wheedling down my TBR lately so hopefully soon!
You’ve perfectly captured I’ll Meet You There in your review, Andi! I loved this book so damn much. Heather just really wrote a story that was captivating, and populated by characters that I could totally care about. So thrilled this book is out in the world for everyone to enjoy!
I somehow missed this book when it was first released, but have heard so many good things about it. Your review has made me want to read it even more!
[…] we have me doing The ABCs for on of my favorite characters, Skylar, from I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios . I just finished my 3rd read of this fantastic book and thought it would be […]
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