The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Geography of You and Me

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: April 15, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they’re rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marvelling at the rare appearance of stars about Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen’s relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and—finally—a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith’s new novel shows that the center of the world isn’t necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

I love Jennifer E. Smith’s books are some of my favourite contemporary YAs. As you can imagine, I was beyond excited about reading her latest, The Geography of You and Me and I loved every page of it. This story was exactly what I had hoped it would be, but it was also so much more. I just loved it all.

If it wasn’t for a blackout trapping them together in an elevator, Lucy and Owen may have never met. But that time spent together in the elevator, and the hours spent roaming a dark Manhattan, bring Lucy and Owen together. But once the power comes back, the two go back to their own lives, almost as if nothing happened. Owen and his father drive west and Lucy and her family move to Edinburgh. But even though they only spent those few hours together, Lucy and Owen can’t seem to stop thinking about each other. They keep in touch through postcards and a few e-mails, even meeting when the opportunity presents itself. But it’s hard to know what could happen when every meeting is so brief. Could it be that Lucy and Owen have become the center of each other’s worlds?

Jennifer E. Smith is one of those authors who is on my auto-buy list: as soon as I see her name on a book, I buy that book and read it as quickly as possible. So far she hasn’t disappointed me, and that still holds true now that I’ve read The Geography of You and Me. I loved this story so much. I loved how I got to see both what was going on with Owen and with Lucy over the course of the story, seeing how each one was basically going through a lot of the same things the other was. But more than that, I loved how the story developed over time, everything that happened wasn’t crammed in a few days or weeks, it took place almost over the course of a whole year. And I loved that this story was set all over the states, and at times, all over Europe. I’m not going to lie, as I was reading The Geography of You and Me, I got this urge to travel and see all of the places Lucy and Owen visited over the course of the story. But most of all, I loved that the whole time I was reading I just had this big, goofy smile on my face.

I loved Lucy and Owen. I mean, how could I not? Not only were they kinda perfect together, they were also these awesome individuals outside of that relationship. When I first read about Lucy, I saw a lot of myself in her. I could relate to so many aspects of her personality and so I connected with her right away. Owen I can’t really say I related to, but I was immediately drawn to him, much int eh same way that Lucy was. There was clearly a lot going on with him, and I loved peeling back the layers and finding out everything there was to know about him. And then put Lucy and Owen together, and I was a happy reader. Though it wasn’t immediately obvious that they would work together, especially when both of them immediately found someone else when they moved away from New York. But still. The more I read about them individually, the more I could see that they really belonged together. And so I just kept turning the pages to see how it would all play out. 

In case it wasn’t obvious, I seriously loved Jennifer E. Smith’s The Geography of You and Me. This is the kind of story that reminds me just why I love contemporary stories as much as I do. And if you haven’t already picked up any of Jennifer E. Smith’s books, you are seriously missing out.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: This is What Happy Looks Like

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: April 2, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

I absolutely adored Jennifer E. Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight when I read it last year so I was very much looking forward to reading This is What Happy Looks Like. I just knew that it would be the perfect blend of serious lighthearted and serious contemporary and I absolutely loved every single page of it.

Ellie has always been perfectly happy leading a quiet life in her small hometown in Maine. But when trailers and Hollywood crowd shows up in town for a movie shoot, Ellie isn't so sure she's going to have that quiet summer she was hoping for. His recent rise to fame was never anything Graham expected. He never thought he had any talent as an actor until he kind of fell into it. Now he has the perfect reason to show up in Maine, in the town where the girl he has been emailing with lives. The only flaw in his plan is that he doesn't know the girl's name…and Ellie doesn't know it's Graham she's been emailing back and forth all this time. But when she finds out, how will Ellie deal with all the potential media attention that can come from spending so much time with Graham?

I don't think there was any way I could have not enjoyed Jennifer E. Smith's This is What Happy Looks Like. I picked it up one Saturday morning, and the next thing I new I just spent the whole day reading the book. It was simply that good. And adorable. And fun. But there were also these moments that were deeper and made me enjoy the story that much more. For the most part though, I just had this dumb smile on my face the majority of the time I was reading. I wanted the story to have a happy ending, but I wasn't always sure that would happen. And that's what kept me reading. I wanted to know what would happen to the characters I had grown surprisingly attached to. I wanted to know why Ellie's mother was so scared of her daughter being in the spotlight. At the end, it was just an adorable and perfect story, exactly what I was looking for when I picked up the book.

The relationship between Ellie and Graham was interesting. It was the kind of relationship that develops without really knowing who the other person is--and in this case it was particularly true since neither one knew the other's name. Seeing how they got to know each other through their emails was a great addition to the story in this way. But I also liked seeing them getting to know each other once they found out who the other person was. While reading, I could tell that despite all her feelings, Ellie was still hesitant when it came to Graham, she didn't know if she could handle being in the spotlight as the latest teenage heartthrob's girlfriend. And Graham, he just wanted to be able to be normal for Ellie and I loved him for it. Just seeing these two characters come together, even when it wasn't alway easy going, is what truly made this story for me.

Jennifer E. Smith's This is What Happy Looks LIke was exactly what I had hoped it would be. For an afternoon, I was transported to a small town in Maine, getting to see this relationship between Ellie and Graham evolve in ways I didn't necessarily think it would. If you are looking for a fun, quick and adorable read, then this is the book for you.

Waiting on Wednesday (70)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to. This week I have two contemporary titles I am particularly looking forward to reading.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
April 2nd, 2013
Poppy

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

I absolutely love Jennifer E. Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight when I read it last year. It was a fantastic contemporary read, so I can't wait for more from this author. And This is What Happy Looks Like sounds like a fun contemporary that might have something more than just fluff going on.

When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

June 4th, 2013

Little, Brown BFYR

Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, When You Were Here explores the two most powerful forces known to man--death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity.

Danny's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation--the one day she was hanging on to see.

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn't know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a letter from his mom's property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with is mother's memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There,a kong the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harijuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

Daisy Whitney has yet to disappoint me with anything that she writes. I am a big fan of The Mockingbirds & The Rivals, so I am excited simply at the prospect of getting to read more of her writing. And When You Were Here sounds like a fantastic story that will no doubt be pulling at my heartstrings.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Poppy

Release Date: January 2, 2012

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second changes, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

When it comes to love at first sight in Young Adult books, I often have issues with it, mostly because it feels very unrealistic. But in this books the love at first sight felt extremely real. It was an absolutely adorable read and I loved every single page of it.

Everything would have been different if Hadley hadn't been late and hadn't missed her flight to London. If Hadley hadn't been late, she wouldn't have almost missed her dad's second wedding to the future stepmother she has never met. But most importantly, if Hadley hadn't been late she wouldn't have met Oliver and she wouldn't have found herself sitting next to him on the flight from New York to London. Between Hadley and Oliver everything is easy and fund despite all the drama that is going on in their lives. But when they get to London, they get separated at the airport and lose sight of each other. But fate is determined to bring them back together, and over 24 hours, Hadley and Oliver keep coming back together.

What was there not to love about this book? Right from the beginning I was drawn in to the story wanting to find out what would happen between Hadley and the mystery boy from the airport. And the whole love at first sight thing? It didn't feel overdone and it was done in a way  that made the whole thing really realistic. But more importantly I loved that it all took place in the span of 24 hours. To me, that just made it seem even more realistic. It made for a really fast-paced story, and I just wanted nothing more than to find out what would happen to Hadley and Oliver. And what's even better is that the title, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, actually has something to do with the story.

You can't help falling in love with Hadley and Oliver. Right from the start I found myself getting invested in their potential relationship and in their individual lives. Both characters felt realistic and right from the start you could tell they were perfect for each other. Neither one of them has had an easy life, particularly in the last few years. But thought they had somewhat similar experiences and family situations, they themselves were quite different. And because they were different is why they worked so well together. And while reading, I wanted nothing more than for them to end up together, but something always seemed to get in the way. But when they would come together, everything would fall into place, though they didn't necessarily see it. Let me just say that Hadley and Oliver are characters you will love and not forget.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was absolutely adorable and a fantastic read. It was the perfect book for a grey Saturday afternoon and I definitely recommend you pick it up should the opportunity arise.