Review: Through to You by Lauren Barnholdt

Through to You

By: Lauren Barnholdt

Pub. Date: July 8, 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 256

Source: Edelweiss

Opposites attract—and then complicate—in this romantic, relatable novel from the author of Two-Way Street and Sometimes It Happens.

It starts with a scribbled note in class: I like your sparkle. Harper had casually threaded a piece of blue and silver tinsel through her ponytail in honor of school spirit day. And that carefree, corny gesture is what grabs Penn Mattingly’s eye. Penn—resident heartbreaker of the senior class. Reliably unreliable. Trouble with a capital “T.” And okay, smolderingly sexy.

Harper’s surprised by Penn’s attention—and so is Penn. The last thing he needs is a girlfriend. Or even a friend-with-benefits. The note is not supposed to lead to anything.

Oh, but it does. They hang out. They have fun. They talk. They make out. And after a while, it seems like they just click. But Penn and Harper have very different ideas about what relationships look like, in no small part because of their very different family backgrounds. Of course they could talk about these differences—if Penn knew how to talk about feelings.

Harper and Penn understand their attraction is illogical, yet something keeps pulling them together. It’s like a crazy roller coaster—exhilarating, terrifying, and amazing all at once. And neither knows how to stop the ride.

I received this galley from edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to reading Through to You. Lately, I have been in the mood for contemporaries, but this one fell flat for me. I just didn't feel connected to the two main characters, Harper and Penn. Actually, I really couldn't stand either of them. What started off as a bang, ended with me feeling cheated on what could have been a fantastic book.

Harper and Penn started talking because Penn wrote her this harmless note about the sparkles in her hair. I thought Harper's reaction to it was really stupid and immature. I understand she's a teenage girl, but seriously, can we get any credit at all?!? She became lost and confused. She didn't know how to handle it, she felt happy and silly, she felt scared. OMG. So this who scenario turned me off a bit. As the book went on, I ended up feeling really bad for Harper. She tried really hard to be a good and supportive girlfriend to Penn, which he definitely didn't deserve. Penn was such a dramatic mess. I understand he recently got a sports injury, which made him lose his scholarships to college-this is a big deal, I get it. But he was so hot and cold with Harper, I just wanted to slap him. He really did come off as a jerk, even in his sometimes sweet moments.

I just didn't think this book was for me. I just couldn't get past their relationship. I know many other people have enjoyed this book though.