Review: Rewind to You by Laura Johnston

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

One last summer before college on beautiful Tybee Island is supposed to help Sienna forget. But how can she? This is where her family spent every summer before everything changed, before the world as she knew it was ripped away.

But the past isn’t easily left behind. Especially when Sienna keeps having episodes that take her back to the night she wants to forget. Even when she meets the mysterious Austin Dobbs, the guy with the intense blue eyes, athlete’s body, and weakness for pralines who scooped her out of trouble when she blacked out on River Street.

When she’s with Austin, Sienna feels a whole new world opening up to her. Austin has secrets, and she has history. But caught between the past and the future, Sienna can still choose what happens now…

My Review

Any book where the main character is grieving the loss of a father instantly grabs my heart. Sienna is struggling with guilt over the death of her father and pressure from her mother to be a success- but on her terms. It was a pleasure to read the developing friendship and romance between Austin and Sienna, with the first person point of view switching between the two characters. In fact, I'd say the story equally focuses on Austin and his struggles as well- feeling like he's from the wrong side of the tracks, falling in love with a girl who won't break up with her boyfriend back home, and holding on to anger towards his own father. It was easy to experience the emotions, the ups and downs of Austin and Sierra, even though I wish they would be smarter and make things easier on themselves! This is a clean young adult romance (despite what the cover infers) and the only thing I didn't like is the fact that Sienna is essentially cheating on her boyfriend with Austin and leading Austin on, yet doesn't see anything wrong with it. The writing is excellent and the story only deepens as the summer draws to a close, leaving the characters with resolution and the reader with a satisfying ending.

(Thank you to Book Blasts & Blog Tours and Kensington Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)