The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Date Read: July 19, 2014
I received an advance reader
edition of this book from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Net Galley for the
purpose of providing an honest review.
3.5 Stars
I read books in all kinds of situations and I read lots of different kinds of books. This book was read from beginning to end while sitting in the car for a long car ride. I only mention that fact because it is a very different reading environment for me. I am not sure if I would have put it down to do something else around the house because it simply was not an option. That being said I have done my best to rate this book as I would any other book.
I enjoyed this sweet teen read. Some portions of the book were more interesting than others and in many ways I found the basic plot to be unrealistic but I like the book anyway. This is the first book that I have read by Jennifer E. Smith.
Lucy and Owen meet in a New York City apartment building’s elevator. Unfortunately, they meet during a huge blackout affecting the entire area. After being rescued from the elevator, they stay together throughout the night. Lucy is the youngest daughter of a wealthy couple who enjoy traveling and she is home alone on the night of the blackout. Owen is the only child of the apartment’s superintendent. Their evening together makes a lasting impression on both Lucy and Owen.
Lucy soon moves with her parents to Scotland while Owen travels west with his father who is looking for work. Each adjust to their new life while staying connected via postcards and email. This really is the story of Lucy and the story of Owen told in alternating narratives. Their stories are really separate with the exception of a few places where their paths intersect.
The book was easy to read. I found the alternating viewpoints worked in this book but I found that I enjoyed Owen’s voice more than Lucy’s for much of the book. It could be that Owen’s story was simply more interesting to me since he had much more to overcome. I do think that it is a bit unrealistic that both Owen and Lucy would still be thinking about each other so much after that one night. I have been a teenager and I am the mother of two teenage daughters. I am constantly around teenagers and as far as I can tell most teenagers move on to the next thing very quickly. That is just my opinion. I do understand that Lucy and Owen did not have a network of friends to move on with since they both move during the book.
I did like this book. I would feel completely comfortable with my youngest daughter who is 13 reading this book so I do feel it is appropriate for younger teens. I plan to read other works by Jennifer E. Smith in the future.
