by: Love Esios
I feel like my whole mental and emotional being have been set to expect loss and tragedy in every final chapter of dystopian novels I've been reading for the past few months. That's why it's a good thing I've found a nice breather in this Colleen Hoover masterpiece.
It's not every day that you'd come across a novel that contains the right mix of love, friendship and kinship coated by poetry while the music of The Avett Brothers are setting the mood in the background.Sure, it's one of those typical love stories. We have here an 18-year-old girl named Layken who lost his dad in an accident, forced to leave her comfort zone to go all the way to Michigan with her mom and younger brother to supposedly live a much simpler kind of life. From across their new home lives the dashing, good-looking boy in the person of Will, who is almost got the same fate as her --- losing both parents to accident and left alone raising a younger brother. And so just like any other love stories, they met, there was spark, and they got electrocuted. (Okay, that was a lame joke!) Kidding aside, I don't think I need to say more. You don't need to be a scientist to know what will happen next.
The characters of Layken and Will and their love story might sound very conventional to most of you, but there is something more about how Colleen Hoover brought the art of poetry, music and love together in this literary piece. I personally enjoyed how she injected humor in the very tough facade of Layken's character. How, in a way, she mirrors each and every one of us in facing struggles and struggling to come out of it. I kinda like how Will became an example of chivalry in this story. How a good-looking man can also have brains, too! I think any woman would like to have a man who's very charming, handsome and strong yet has a heart so compassionate that a piece of poetry or a sad melody can make him soften up even just a little bit. Though, just like most romantic novels, I feel like I there are some moments when I was actually looking for some more masculinity and toughness in Will's character (though I know if that's the only thing I was looking for, I should've just read A Game of Thrones and immune myself on the egotistic attitude of male characters in that book).
I think this novel just proved how hopeless romantic I am. It awakens the flame of poetry in my heart. It even made me want to watch and join poetry slam! :D Yes, it is a typical love story. And who knows, perhaps it's YOUR typical love story, too. :)
I'd give 8/10cups of latte for this. Enjoy! ^___________^
