ARC: 304 Pages
Genre YA Contemporary
Book from: Publisher*
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.
Review by Jessica
BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE, by Emily Wing Smith is a fast paced novel all about love and loss, and a determination controlled by the heart. I was easily hooked from beginning to end.
I started this book with certain predictions of the typical girl gets dumped and can't move on, but I was surprised with a few different twists that don't appear often. Joy is so obviously in love with Zan but my first impression of him was, "This kid is such a jerk!". While Joy is so desperate to find the answers her heart needs I wanted to yell at her to let him go, that she could do so much better, like I was her best friend.
When Noah came into play I was excited, hoping that Joy would see that a totally awesome boy was looking her way, hidden motives or not but of course all she can think about is Zan. I think Joy's love for Zan and her hurt over losing him were understandable but I felt that she over obsessed to the point of stalker-like.
Overall, I found this a fast read without a dull moment. Smith captured the emotions of the characters well and the situations the characters were in were believable and genuine. I am excited to see more from this author.
Emily Wing Smith's Website/Blog
*FTC Disclosure: I received this finished copy from the publisher. I do not receive payment of any kind in exchange for a review. I do not receive monetary compensation from any book links in my review..
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