Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
How to Love by Katie Cotugno Published by Balzer + Bray on October 1, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 389
Source: Publisher
Goodreads • Amazon •
Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.
After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?
In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.
Narrator: Merrit Hicks, Length: 10 hrs 1 min
How to Love is a beautiful, realistic, and poignant story about two teens that fall in love, the repercussions of their decisions, and how after years apart, they find their way back to each other. This book could also be categorized as “new adult”, as it definitely straddles the line between YA and adult. I was able to quickly connect with the protagonist, Reena, and I loved how the story was told from her perspective but alternated between before and after she had her baby. This format effectively made How to Love two romance stories in one.
As much as I loved the story, Reena, and how character driven it was… I didn’t like Sawyer, Reena’s love interest. I spent most of the book wondering why Reena was so infatuated with him. She’s a smart girl, and I saw a lot of my teen self in her – driven, with the desire to travel and explore – and I’d never date him. I was suspicious of him through most of the book; I just kept waiting for him to be a cheater. About ¾ of the way through he finally started to grow on me.
I can’t seem to get enough YA/NA contemporary novels these days – I’ve read a ton – and this book continues to stand out. How to Love is beautifully written, and months later, I’m still thinking about these characters. Merritt Hicks narrated the audiobook and I thought she was fantastic, and captured the emotions perfectly.
How to Love was my favorite debut novel of 2013 (yes, I’m a bit late in posting this review)! I highly recommend this book for fans of character driven, realistic fiction. I can’t wait to read more from Katie Cotugno!
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Tumblr
Twitter: fakesteph
says:
Hmmm… I got crazy busy and never finished this one, but maybe I will pick it back up since you liked it so much.
fakesteph recently posted..Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
It’s on my “to buy” list.