Release date: US 26th June 2007
Genre: Contemporary
Target audience: YA, 12+
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Review:
Two Way Street is a contemporary romance told through a dual
narrative.
Courtney is desperate to get out of the road trip she had
planned with her ex-boyfriend. Jordan broke up with her because he met a girl
on Myspace or so he told Courtney (yes, this book needs updating to say
Facebook). But in fact, Jordan’s keeping a painful secret from Courtney and he
broke up with her to protect her. He starts out as the bad guy but he’s really
the good guy. You know when you’re with the right person because they make you
a better one. This was the case with Jordan and Courtney. Until they broke up
and little white lies make things a whole lot more complicated.
The best thing about this novel is that you get to see the
story from both Courtney and Jordan’s point of view. The story moves seamlessly
between them and as the reader you can see how they misread the actions of the
other.
Even though it’s about heartbreak, I found this book really
amusing. Lloyd (Courtney’s childhood crush) is a caricature. B.J (Jordan’s best
friend) is a lunatic. His relationship with Jocelyn (Courtney’s best friend) is
pretty insane and all of the characters act irrationally because of love. It
was full of melodrama but in the best possible way. I guess this is what they
call “a situation comedy”.
The plot is fairly simple – a girl endures a road trip with
her ex – but it really works well. You could say that not much happens on the
road trip itself. They talk. They don’t talk. They answer their phones. They
don’t answer their phones. They eat. They don’t eat. It’s really the before parts of the story that are
interesting. The parts where they reveal how they met, how they fell in love,
why they broke up – these are what bring the tension into the road trip.
This book is so easy it read. I felt like I speed read it
but I hadn’t intended to. The book isn’t really weighed down with detail. We
get the odd glimpse of Courtney through Jordan’s eyes and vice versa but other
than that; it’s mostly dialogue and events unfolding in the past which affect
the present. Two Way Street is a
page-turner; I found it light and fluffy but also highly entertaining. If you
enjoy contemporary YA romance, you’ll enjoy this.
Recommended for fans of:
- Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
- When It Happens by Susane Colasanti
Source: Bought and read on my Kobo
3 comments:
I actually really enjoyed this when I read it a few years ago. I'm curious to re-read it and see if I agree with what you said about the humour and caricatures as I don;t really remember it that well.
I loved the writing but the book didn't work much for me. Plot felt predictable though the alternate pov were very well written. Would have to read Lauren's other books to see how I like them
I've seen this book a couple of times before but I never thought about picking it up. Now I definitely want to read it!! I LOVE road trip books, especially ones that are told from two POVs. From your review it sounds like If I Stay - events unfolding in the past which affect the present.
Fab review!! I'm a new follower.
Please please follow back. Thank you ^^
Sapir @ Diary of a Wimpy Teen Girl
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