cnorbury's review
4.0
A darn good read. Didn't know what to expect, genre-wise, but was drawn into the story quickly. At first, I thought it was a middle-grade story, but then the language, violence, and sexual situations kicked it up to a young adult level, even though the main young characters were only 16 yrs old.
Nevertheless, a good story is a good story. Pacing was good, story questions abounded, tension was always present, ebbing and flowing and keeping the reader off guard. There were some nice plot twists, even though I suspected who the killer was at about the 75% mark.
Dialogue was realistic for a novel set in Texas in the 50s (? ... or 60s). The POV switching from Jesse to Lola showed me that Mr. Rhamey captured the confused and frustrating feelings of teenagers in love pretty well. I certainly empathized with Jesse.
This was a pleasant reading surprise and I recommend this book to anyone who likes a touching, intense story about teen romance and coming of age.
Nevertheless, a good story is a good story. Pacing was good, story questions abounded, tension was always present, ebbing and flowing and keeping the reader off guard. There were some nice plot twists, even though I suspected who the killer was at about the 75% mark.
Dialogue was realistic for a novel set in Texas in the 50s (? ... or 60s). The POV switching from Jesse to Lola showed me that Mr. Rhamey captured the confused and frustrating feelings of teenagers in love pretty well. I certainly empathized with Jesse.
This was a pleasant reading surprise and I recommend this book to anyone who likes a touching, intense story about teen romance and coming of age.
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