What's worse than getting dumped? Not even knowing if you've been dumped. Joy got no goodbye, and certainly no explanation when Zan - the love of her life and the only good thing about stifling, backward Haven, Utah - unceremoniously and unexpectedly left for college a year early. Joy needs closure almost as much as she needs Zan, so she heads for California, and Zan, riding shotgun beside Zan's former-best-friend Noah.
Original and insightful, quirky and crushing, Joy's story is told in surprising and artfully shifting flashbacks between her life then and now. Exquisite craft and wry, relatable humor signal the arrival of Emily Wing Smith as a breakout talent.
This was a book right up my alley. I definitely fit within the target audience for this book. I've read the mixed reviews on this book and can understand them but for me this book was a hit. I could totally relate to the main character Joy. I'm a good mormon girl who grew up in California and now lives in Utah. All the references to Mormon culture, expectations & rules made me laugh out loud more than once.
I loved the way this was written with flashbacks and short chapters full of humor. I admit this is not a book that will appeal to everyone but it is one that I really enjoyed reading. I'm adding Emily's other book to my to read list.
Content: Clean
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: The Teen Book Scene Tour
Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith was released on April 28, 2011 by Dutton Juvenile.
5 Comments on Book Review: Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith, last added: 8/9/2011
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this looks a fun read...thanks for the review
This was a cute book. Though it's not my favorite, I still enjoyed it.
This sounds like a fun book! I need to request that my library purchase it :)
The title alone makes me curious. I really want to know how everything turns out. Thanks for the introduction.
Love a book that's clean and can make you laugh! Glad you liked it!