After Eden

by Helen Douglas

[Angie]

After Eden was so much fun! Eden is just a normal girl, but then she meets Ryan. It's the cliched, new, mysterious, and kind of odd new boy meets normal girl tale. Or at least that's how things seemed at the start. Ryan is from the future, and he's actually there to stop Eden's best friend Connor from doing something that will ruin the future. Eden isn't suppose to know any of this, but after she figures it out, she's a huge help to the mission. Of course, the two have to fall in love and face danger, but that isn't until later.

I love when Sci-Fi books talk about the environment! Ryan and Eden first bond over both being vegetarians, although they chose this diet for very different reasons. In Ryan's home time, the world has been devastated: plants, animals, and humans are all dying out. He's very environmentally conscious because of this and I loved it! He also quotes Shakespeare! My kind of guy! I liked how most of After Eden's plot did actually focus on his mission of stopping Connor, instead of the romance taking over and ruining things. Ryan's mission is very important, so not becoming distracted is crucial. But I did adore the romance at the end, since it wasn't instalove. They had known each other for months before any feelings or kissing came about.

I just really, really enjoyed After Eden. It moves at a nice pace, and doesn't fall into too many YA tropes. I liked having someone other than the love interest be the center of the plot for once. Eden doesn't end up being anyone too special; she just happened to be the BFF of the target. I did find the ending a bit questionable. The last couple of chapters are a little cheesy and obvious, but I do love a happy ending. It all wraps up nicely, so the sequel, Chasing Stars, doesn't seem totally necessary to me. I'm definitely going to read it though!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.