I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios [Review]

4 out of 5 Robots!

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release: February 3, 2015
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
My Copy: Purchased
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

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.

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

This book was very different than Heather's first book I read (Something Real).  It was much more raw and I felt the character's hopefulness and hopelessness even more keenly.  But it still had that great relationship push and pull that I liked in Something Real, especially where the family relationships were concerned.  I'll Meet You There is definitely not as sweet as Something Real, but that's what I appreciated the most about it.

Here is what I liked:

**I loved the friendship/romance between Skylar and Josh.  It was sweet, but certainly not perfect.  They recognize the demons they are fighting and find solace and comfort in each other.  I especially liked how Sky treats Josh.  I wouldn’t say this is a “love saves the day” sort of story, but their romance definitely makes them both think outside of themselves and see there is more to their lives than depression, oppression, poverty and PTSD.

**I liked how Josh’s PTSD was dealt with.  I liked that even though he found some hope in Sky, it was still not “fixed” and that he knew it was a long road to recovery. 

**I loved most of the supporting characters.  Especially Marge the motel owner, who was truly a friend to both of them.  I also like Sky’s best friend, Dylan, who represented everything Sky didn’t want in life.  I even liked how the Sky’s mom was handled.  I didn’t particularly like her, but I liked how she didn’t just magically come around and their relationship was sticky and complicated.  

**Lastly, I loved the rawness.  The “good” characters are certainly not angels.  They have baggage, they make mistakes.  There is a lot of despair all around and these characters are trying to dig themselves out of their holes. 

Here is what I didn't like:

**I clashed a lot with Sky.  I found her condescending attitude to be very off putting.  She really felt she was better than everyone and it showed.  It bothered me a lot actually.  Especially where her best friend was concerned.  Sky constantly makes these little side comments about her friend’s morality.  Basically, she thinks her friend is slutty and it starts to devolve into some light slut-shaming, which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.  But because her friend wears short dresses and is a teenage mother, while Sky is a virgin then obviously Sky is a better person.  Right?  Wrong!  Grr.  Authors, please stop this.

**As much as I liked the rawness (hey, look!  Teenagers swear!), sometimes Josh was hard to take.  I really liked him as a character, but man, some of the things that came out of his mouth are not okay.  Granted, he starts to recognize how offensive his words can be, but it can be uncomfortable to read. 

Overall:
Overall, a really good read! I loved Josh and Sky's friendship/romance.  I loved the complicated relationships between everyone.  And I enjoyed Josh and Sky becoming better versions of themselves.  Plus the banter is fun and cute and sweet.