Summary
Lucy and Owen meet in an elevator during a black out. They spend one evening together, touring the city in the dark, talking into the night. They share only small bits of themselves. But a connection is made.
They keep in touch from there, sending postcards across the miles as Lucy moves to Europe and Owen and his dad travel west. A few words scribbled in the small blank space on a postcard keep the connection going. Each of the teens feels a strong connection to the other. But they also question that connection because they spent so little time together. Their relationship seems like it should feel less real – less important – than the relationships right in front of them.
Long distance relationships are hard enough for people who’ve known each other for ages. How can a relationship based on less than 24 hours in something of a crisis situation ever hope to survive?
Review
This is the second book I’ve read by Jennifer E Smith. The tone of this one is similar to The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. I like this sort of teen romance because the focus is on the characters and the circumstances that could keep them apart. The reader cheers for the characters to triumph over their situation.
Lucy and Owen are solid characters. Each has things in the past that keep them from making a lot of friends. The blackout draws them into an unusual situation which helps them open up in ways they never have before.
So much of this story is about Lucy and Owen on their own, growing up and maturing through their circumstances and their relationships with their families. The thread that keeps them connected – the postcards – draws the reader through the story to see if the individual changes will help or hurt the relationship started that day in a stuck elevator.
The author just published a new book, Windfall, back in May. I am hoping to read it soon!