Through to You by Lauren Barnholdt
Publication Date: July 8, 2014
Page Count: 288
Published by: Simon Pulse
Source: eArc received from publisher in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Opposites attract—and then complicate—in this romantic, relatable novel from the author of Two-Way Street and Sometimes It Happens.
It starts with a scribbled note in class: I like your sparkle. Harper had casually threaded a piece of blue and silver tinsel through her ponytail in honor of school spirit day. And that carefree, corny gesture is what grabs Penn Mattingly’s eye. Penn—resident heartbreaker of the senior class. Reliably unreliable. Trouble with a capital “T.” And okay, smolderingly sexy.
Harper’s surprised by Penn’s attention—and so is Penn. The last thing he needs is a girlfriend. Or even a friend-with-benefits. The note is not supposed to lead to anything.
Oh, but it does. They hang out. They have fun. They talk. They make out. And after a while, it seems like they just click. But Penn and Harper have very different ideas about what relationships look like, in no small part because of their very different family backgrounds. Of course they could talk about these differences—if Penn knew how to talk about feelings.
Harper and Penn understand their attraction is illogical, yet something keeps pulling them together. It’s like a crazy roller coaster—exhilarating, terrifying, and amazing all at once. And neither knows how to stop the ride…
I was really looking forward to reading this book, and let me tell you that I was not disappointed. I picked this up before bed one night and ended up reading the entire book! I just couldn't put it down.
Harper was an okay character, and I liked her well enough, but I don't think her or her back story were well developed or all that interesting. For the most part, she seemed okay with the way Penn mistreated her. I wasn't okay with it, and I really wanted her to call him out on his crap. Also, there wasn't enough emphasis on her dancing considering that she was attempting to get a scholarship for a dance school. She didn't seem very passionate about it, and the whole thing was sort of an afterthought.
I thought Penn was interesting and I really wanted to like him, but it bothered me that I couldn't get a good feel for him, even though half of the story was from his POV. He was kind of messed up and had a lot of issues, but it seemed as though all of those problems were mostly superficial because he never dealt with any of them. He really wasn't able to analyze or voice his feelings and it caused him a lot of frustration. He was very good at shutting down whenever Harper pushed him, and he really seemed intent on keeping things at a superficial level between them. I didn't like the way he ran hot and cold with Harper, and I really wasn't fond of the way he treated her at times.
I liked Harper and Penn together, even though I'm not completely convinced that they made sense. Their relationship was fraught with tons of drama and angst. They were so on again, off again it could make your head spin! Penn tended to use emotions as a weapon, especially when Harper got too close. He was the one in control of their relationship, and while I could sort of understand where some of his actions were coming from, I wish he had been able to open up and be honest.
In the end, I really did like Through to You. I thought it was interesting and it held my attention throughout, but it wasn't without it's ups and downs. There were things that I enjoyed, and things that I couldn't get behind. But the writing was really great, and I liked that it was dual POV. I know this book might not be for everyone, but I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it if you enjoy contemporary YA with a bit of angsty teen drama. I must end this review on a totally shallow note: I think this cover is totally cute.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
