The Geography of You and Me – A Romance that Travels

ABOUT the BOOK 
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publication Date: 2014
Publisher: Poppy
Genre: Fiction; Young Adult Contemporary
Source: Buy
FIND the BOOK ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
FIND the REVIEW ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★★

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith | Book Review

THE STORY | Serendipity is not something Lucy anticipates when she steps into the elevator at her apartment building. But that’s what she gets when the elevator gets stuck.

Her co-passenger is Owen, a boy she doesn’t know but comes to learn is the son of the maintenance man. Once free, the pair spends the night together on the roof in conversation and star-gazing, but the next morning, Owen is gone.

Throughout the school year, their respective lives take Lucy and Own to different corners of the world. Lucy is overseas experiencing new cultures and the possibility of a cute boyfriend. Owen hits the road with his father, and wonders about the right choice for his collegian future. Through it all, the “wish you were here” postcards they send mange to find the two, but what does destiny have in store for them?

REVIEW | Quite some time ago, I had the chance to read Jennifer’s Hello, Goodbye and Everything In-Between. Prior to this, I had books by her on my shelf, but hadn’t ever read any. After this, I discovered in all likelihood, Jennifer would become an all-time favorite contemporary author. In the interim I still didn’t read anything else authored by her until now. In the present, I can happily report, my first impressions of her remain intact.

BOOK REVIEW | Hello, Goodbye and Everything In-Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Inside the pages of this book lies a sprinkle of magic. There’s something about the book that I love. I’ve said it before, but will mention it again, usually I am not a fan of romantic-comedies that keep the couple apart for 90+ percent of the story (i.e., Sleepless in Seattle). But with The Geography of You and Me, the approach is different, and I couldn’t stop reading.

“When there was nothing but space between you, everything felt like a leap.” – Jennifer E. Smith

The book is broken up into sections (‘Everywhere,’ ‘Somewhere,’ etc.) and each one covers a piece of the two-person POV switch off, and their lives. One section in particular is unique in its narrative, and it’s this that really stands out as unique. Fortunately, I also really like the characters. Lucy and Owen are easy to like, and I love that though they don’t really know each other, they do feel a pull to one another. To help with authenticity, all of this occurs without them being “in love” or I don’t feel this as a prime emotion, which is nice.

By the final page, I’d fallen head over heels for this story. The ending is open ended in many ways, but at the same time, it’s complete and feels right.

Content: there may be some minor profanity or innuendo, but to be honest, I don’t remember anything PG13-like.