Review: Two-Way Street

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pub. Date: June 26, 2007
Pages: 304
Age Level: 15+/YA

Synopsis
There are two sides to every breakup.
This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

Review
I think it would be fair to say that this book had its up and downs. Thankfully the good qualities out ranked the bad. I thought this was a fun, though predictable read. It wasn’t long before I had the majority of the book figured out but I still felt compelled to keep turning the pages.

At times, it felt like the author was having trouble deciding on set personalities for her characters. For example, Courtney. One minute she’s all calm and collected, then the next she’s having a breakdown. Go figure. She did have a bit of a sassy wit about her that made her a more likable character.

As far as Jordan is considered, he could at times be arrogant and full of himself, but he was also really good to Courtney, except for the part where he didn’t tell her the truth and broke up with her. I must say, I was particularly annoyed by his frequent use of the f-word. The author could have toned it down a bit. However, despite all the craziness going on, I actually kind of liked the characters and they sort of grew on me. Maybe it is just because they amused me.

In the end, I enjoyed this book, despite the little issues I had with the characters and it had a nice story line. Two-Way street was funny not only because of dialogue but because of how it was written. Plus it managed to hold my attention. The ending tied everything up nicely and was exactly what I figured it’d be. I’m still not sure if I would re-read this or not. I’m leaning a little more towards yes than no. As far as recommending it, if you are looking for a funny, entertaining read than pick it up and give it a shot.

Grade
Characters: C+
Writing: B-
Plot: B-
Ending: B
Cover: B
Recommendable: B-

Overall: B-