phyllish
Written on Jul 25, 2018
Noah had a bad rap. Even his dad thought he was headed in the wrong direction. . .
Poor Noah was so misunderstood. He had a heart of gold but having an abusive stepdad put him in situations that didn’t look good. In the typical “I’m hurting but can’t let anyone know” manner, he ended up with a reputation. I fell in love with him a little as my heart went out to him.
He was actually very noble. He had been injured more than once in defending his mom. His young half-sister adored him and ran to him for protection and comfort. And he rescued Lexi from teen-hell when she ended up at the movies without a date with a group of snotty girls who are quick to bad-mouth her. Aww! What isn’t to love?
Lexi was adorable. This nerdy, band-geek, trumpet-playing, excellent student fit all the stereotypes. She was slightly-awkward with big dark glasses. And she was Noah’s best friend’s little sister. She is such a nurturer. I love the way she refused to let Noah sleep in his car. In the middle of winter. In New York. Her solution of letting him sleep in her closet was such a cute way of solving the problem. (Okay, if she was my niece, I’d be giving her a major lecture for not telling an adult of his dilemma so they could help him, not her – but it makes for a good story.)
I also loved the way that Lexi was so nervous about things like holding Noah’s hand. There were paragraphs about her concern about whether she might do it wrong. Her innocence was precious. I included an excerpt from one of those scenes.
Another great part was when Noah and a fellow jock were watching Pride and Prejudice to help with a test they had coming up. Lexi was there because, well, it was her house. The way the guys reacted to the movie was so funny (Jake admired Darcy for proposing and insulting Elizabeth at the same time!), and the fact that they ended up liking it while Lexi fell asleep. . .
Here is a great example of how good the story is and how well it drew me in. I was reading the part about Noah and Lexi discussing why he can’t sleep in his car (did I mention it was the middle of winter? In New York?), and I knew I needed to go outside and feed the cats. I looked down at what I was wearing and thought, “I need to get something much warmer on before I go outside!” And all of a sudden started to giggle at myself for the thought. Because it’s July. In Florida!
It Was Always You was sweet, sensitive, romantic and fun all wrapped into one. I loved the book.
This review was originally posted on Among the Reads
I would like to thank Judy Corry for giving me a copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.