I am back with another Monday Reviews! This week, I am reviewing I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios.
As always, the synopsis;
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 really enjoyed this novel. It was such a gripping and heartbreaking story. The two characters are broken for very different reasons, Skylar, who lives with her mom in a sleepy, trailer park town after her father's tragic drunk driving accident, and Josh, who's choices were to stick around town or enlist. And after losing his leg in Afghanistan, he is forced to return to the town he so desperately wanted to escape, struggling with his PTSD.
I found that the characters had a very realistic love story. There wasn't any insta love, it was more of a slow burning love that builds. There were bumps in the road, and issues with each character, but they were able to push through.
This was my first book my Heather Demetrios, and I really enjoyed the writing style and how everything was laid out. I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.
Overall, I loved this book, and gave it a 5/5 stars on Goodreads and highly recommend!
This week is Mental Health Week in Canada! I will be spending the week showcasing books that deal with mental illnesses and help promote mental health awareness.
I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios deals with post-tramatic stress disorder or PTSD. Josh comes back from fighting in Afghanistan and is diagnosed with PTSD. This illness involves exposure to trauma dealing with dealth, threat of death, or serious injury. For more info on PTSD, check out the Canadian Mental Health Association's website.