It’s summer so that means that we are in a bit of a contemporary reading kick over here at Twin Reads. It is also memorial day, so I thought it would be a great idea to give you guys a review of I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios, a recent YA contemporary I read this summer.
What’s it about?
I’ll Meet You There follows main character, Skylar, or Sky, Evans, a resident native of the most boring, hole in the wall town in America—Creekview, California. Creekview is a town where everyone get’s stuck. Full of trailers, lost dreams, and teenagers with babies, it’s not the type of place anyone wants to stay if they can help it and this is especially true for Skylar. Skylar doesn’t want to get stuck in Creekview for the rest of her life, taking care of her mom and working at the Paradise Motel. She has big dreams, dreams that are just within reach. With art school coming in the fall, Skylar finally starts to feel like her life will amount to more than just Creekview. However, when Josh, her fellow co-worker at the Paradise arrives back in town after losing his leg in Afghanistan, thoroughly ending his attempt to escape Creekview by joining the marines, all of Skylar’s best-laid plans begin to fall apart.
What I liked:
This is a great contemporary. One of the ones that seems to hit that sweet spot between fun summer lightness and also deep struggle and meaning. All of the characters in this novel are so real and their struggles seem real, all-encompassing, and in no way whatsoever petty. These characters are why this novel is so successful. We loved their relationships, their genuine reactions to each other, and the pasts and baggage from before the book even began that seemed to make them who they are. This story is told mostly from Skylar’s perspective, but every couple chapters we get a small glimpse into Josh’s life, thoughts and perspective—quick moments of literally his running thoughts, as jumbled, stricken, devastating, troubled, yet growing and happy as one might expect from a marine struggling with what he has experienced in war and reconciling that with the life he is attempting to begin again, and the people who make it seem worth living.
What I didn’t like:
This may seem like a cop out, but there was really nothing I didn’t like about this book. It was fun, sad, happy, devastating—everything you could ask for in a contemporary novel. I think it covered some difficult topics, and Heather Demetrios covered these characters’ stories with unbelievable grace.
Should you read it?
YESSS. Sooner rather than later please. Even if you are not typically a contemporary reader (trust me, I get it, I couldn’t live without my Fantasy books) this book will blow you away. You’ll get so attached to the characters that you will be unable to put the book down until they work through their problems and all is right in the world of Creekview once more!
Star Rating:
Meg: 5/5 Stars
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