Item: You Can Go Your Own Way
Rating: 4.00
Author: quirkycat

by Eric Smith

"A sweetly charming love story that leaves the reader with a lasting sense of hope.” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star

"The perfect novel to snuggle up with.” —Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read

A heartwarming and thoughtful enemies-to-lovers rom-com about two teens—one trying to save his family's failing pinball arcade, the other working for her tech genius dad who wants to take it over—who get trapped together in a snowstorm.

Adam Stillwater is in over his head. But the pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.

Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got here. Her parents split up. Her boyfriend dumped her. And now she’s spending her senior year running social media for her dad’s chain of super successful gaming cafés—which mostly consists of trading insults with that decrepit old pinball arcade across town.

But when a huge snowstorm hits, Adam and Whitney find themselves trapped inside the arcade. Cut off from their families, their worlds, and their responsibilities, the tension between them seems to melt away, leaving something else in its place. But what happens when the storm ends?

You Can Go Your Own Way is the latest novel to come from the mind of Eric Smith. It's a young adult romance, with several other surprising elements woven into the mix. In other words, it is precisely the sort of reading I was looking for (you guys know I love genre-blending books).

Adam Stillwater knows that he has no business trying to run his father's business – a pinball arcade in need of some help. But he can't just walk away from the only thing he has left of his father even when everyone else is telling him to do exactly that.

Then there's Whitney Mitchell. She doesn't really have anybody in her life at the moment, having been quite literally uprooted recently against her wishes. Mostly, Whitney keeps herself busy by running a social media page for her dad's business – which involves insulting/roasting the pinball arcade nearby. You can imagine how this is going to turn out.

First, let's address the elephant in the room, yes? The real reason I picked up You Can Go Your Own Way is because it is totally using a Fleetwood Mac song for the title. That's both clever and hilarious. So it instantly succeeded in getting my attention.

The second thing that drew me in was how relatable the characters were. Adam and Whitney's situations are so...human. It's easy to picture living in their shoes, drama and all. It's the perfect foundation for an endearing romance, don't you think?

Finally, I'll admit that I am fond of the enemies-to-lovers trope, which You Can Go Your Own Way has in spades. If this is a trope you adore, then you really ought to check this book out. Oh! And did I mention there's so much banter? Especially as insults are slung back and forth. It makes for a fun read.

Thanks to Inkyard Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

You Can Go Your Own Way

by Eric Smith

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Nov 10, 2021

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