At 17, Layla Weston is already starting over. Having lost both her parents and grandparents, and with nowhere else to go, Layla is moving from Florida to a small town in North Carolina to live with the only family she has left: her estranged uncle and aunt. The last five years of Layla’s life were spent appeasing her less- than-loving grandmother, followed by being her grandfather’s caretaker. Growing old before her time, Layla lost her identity, she must learn how to allow herself to be loved and cared for once again. Life takes an unexpected turn when Layla meets Will Meyer. His breathtaking good looks are enough to catch her eye, but his sincerity and passion are everything she needs to find the strength and confidence she lost — and lead her into love. When tragedy once again strikes Layla’s life, her hope is all but completely crushed. Through it all, Layla learns what it means to truly love and be loved.
This story was adorable. A young girl who has suffered through tragedy and lost herself slowly learns to love and trust again. It is your run-of-the-mill happy go lucky books. And that's exactly what I needed when I picked this up (well actually I bought it virtually on Amazon but it's the same idea).
Layla's struggles are real and I found it easy to sympathize with her and all she's been through. And then of course her first love is literally 'love at first sight' and even though the idea is tired and recycled, to read it from Layla's point of view is both adorable and relatable.
As she is slowly accepted into the tight-knit community she landed in you can't help but cheer for her to enjoy her life and be herself because she is FINALLY able to. Like any other main character in any book she has her struggles and obstacles to overcome but they are all dealt with in a timely manner which keeps the reader engaged and wanting for more.
The only criticism I do have for this book was the fact that the author had to keep restating how Layla's past was terrible and it beat her down emotionally for years on end. I clearly know about Layla's past, I've only been reading about it for a couple hundred pages or so. Usually in previous books I've read, the re-stating of facts is followed by additional details that give the reader insight into what really happened or finally put together the pieces of the character's past...but not in this book. We knew from page one what Layla's life was like with her grandparents so the reiteration of events was not necessary.
Other than that I really did enjoy reading this book! It was cute, timely and a twist on the classic feel-good novel. 3 stars
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