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A review by indigoivee
Kissing in America by Margo Rabb
4.0
This is a poignant and heartfelt exploration of grief, friendship, and the transformative power of love. Through the eyes of its protagonist, Eva, Rabb takes readers on an emotional journey filled with longing, loss, and ultimately, hope.
As Eva grapples with the devastating loss of her father, she finds solace and strength in unexpected places, including a newfound friendship with the spirited and adventurous Will. The authour’s prose is evocative and beautifully captures the complexities of teenage emotions and relationships. Will and Eva are both grieving familial loses and deal with their emotions respectively. And while Eva continues to pine after Will, Will later realises his feelings for her. They fall fast and hard, until Will is set to leave.
Eva, not wanting her first love to be the only love, convinces her friend to join her on a cross country roadtrip, with a competiton worth big bucks on the end for just a chance to see Will again. The adventure, the emotions and the overall heartwarming and cosy feel this book brought made me wish I was a teenage again in America with nothing but love in my heart!
The pure friendship between Eva and Grace, the honest love Eva had for Will, the grief over her father and the broken bond with her mother was raw and realistic but poignant and inspiring.
There is something so nostalgic about reading books that took place in the early 2010’s. The use of cellphones are minimal—mostly landlines and text messages and calls—having to actually make plans to hang out with someone and talking to them face to face to see how they feel. Also, the use of maps as a guide and having to use a laptop to look things up and just the overall cuteness of writing letters and making mix tapes. They don’t do romance like this anymore, and this book made me realise this.
Such and adorable read. It was sweet, wholesome and so cute. However, I will admit, it would’ve been nice to have Will and Eva get their happy ending. She deserved that love story more than anyone else.
Favourite quote: “Maybe there were as many different types of strength as there were different types of love.”
As Eva grapples with the devastating loss of her father, she finds solace and strength in unexpected places, including a newfound friendship with the spirited and adventurous Will. The authour’s prose is evocative and beautifully captures the complexities of teenage emotions and relationships. Will and Eva are both grieving familial loses and deal with their emotions respectively. And while Eva continues to pine after Will, Will later realises his feelings for her. They fall fast and hard, until Will is set to leave.
Eva, not wanting her first love to be the only love, convinces her friend to join her on a cross country roadtrip, with a competiton worth big bucks on the end for just a chance to see Will again. The adventure, the emotions and the overall heartwarming and cosy feel this book brought made me wish I was a teenage again in America with nothing but love in my heart!
The pure friendship between Eva and Grace, the honest love Eva had for Will, the grief over her father and the broken bond with her mother was raw and realistic but poignant and inspiring.
There is something so nostalgic about reading books that took place in the early 2010’s. The use of cellphones are minimal—mostly landlines and text messages and calls—having to actually make plans to hang out with someone and talking to them face to face to see how they feel. Also, the use of maps as a guide and having to use a laptop to look things up and just the overall cuteness of writing letters and making mix tapes. They don’t do romance like this anymore, and this book made me realise this.
Such and adorable read. It was sweet, wholesome and so cute. However, I will admit, it would’ve been nice to have Will and Eva get their happy ending. She deserved that love story more than anyone else.
Favourite quote: “Maybe there were as many different types of strength as there were different types of love.”