Book Review - You Are Here

You Are Here

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Standalone

Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult

Release Date: May 19th 2009

Publishers: Simon and Schuster

No. Pages: 256

Source: Borrowed

Rating: 

Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble 

Emma Healy has grown used to being the only ordinary one in her rather extraordinary family. But when she finds a birth certificate for a twin brother she never knew she had, along with a death certificate dated just two days later, she realizes why she never felt quite whole. She sets off on a trip to visit her brother's grave. Peter Finnegan, her neighbor, comes along for the ride. Emma thinks they can't possibly have anything in common, but with each passing mile, they find themselves learning more and more about themselves and each other

So this will be the fourth book I've read by Jennifer E. Smith and considering she only has 6 books out, and I have yet to dislike one, I think that's pretty good don't you?. While it may not be my favourite, that title goes to The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, it still was fluffy an cute and all things we come to expect while reading a book by Jennifer.

This lovey story is set around two neighbors, Emma and Peter. Both very different from their family, both hoping for what the other has. Not long before her seventieth birthday,  Emma stumbles upon a box in the attic, at the bottom of the box she finds a birth and death certificate belonging to her a twin brother she never knew she had. Emma finally thinks she found whats been missing. She decides to go on a road trip to visit her brothers grave in the town she was born, and after losing her mode of transport, calls Peter and ask's him to come to her rescue and help her continue her trip, although she doesn't explain what it is or why she's desperate to do it, he agree's, more than happy to get away from home himself.

You Are Here is written like any other of Jennifer E. Smiths books, by the end of the book you feel like you know the main characters inside out and sometimes , the sub characters too. She creates enough back story for you to really get a feel for them and enough of the present for you to slowly fall in love with them. The only thing I didn't like  about this book was the fact that it seemed to drag a bit, and though it was developed nicely, I didn't seem to feel the romance. Unlike her other books I have read, I think she would have been much better making this story about friendship instead of a budding relationship. One thing I did like about this book was how they understood each other without words, the connection they have runs much deeper than they thought, and the road trip just opened both their eyes to the person who was always there for them

You Are Here wasn't perfect, but a mark of a good book is accepting the flaws but being able to see past them and enjoy the book anyway. I know lots of other people are tired of the road trip story line in YA books but I happened to really enjoy it and although I loved the chapters where they visited battlefields, I think more could have been done to make them fun as they were the times in the story that dragged for me.

Overall I enjoyed it, like already stated it wasn't my favourite but it was still a really lovely story about friendship, family and first love. The love aspect to the story didn't overshadow everything else, it was subtle and part of me thinks that's why I thought they were better of as friends. For those of you who have read and loved her others books, if you are going to pick this up do not expect an emotional roller coaster when it comes to the romance , its there just done in a different way to the others :)