There is just not enough words to describe how amazing this book is. I read it back in July and was immediately struck by the beauty of the characters and this story. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read and quickly became one of my favorite YA romance books to date. I can’t talk enough about how freaking swoony Jack is. If you dare pick this up, full warning that you will likely fall madly in love with him. Jenn Bennett has created her first YA novel that I won’t soon forget.
This story is about Beatrix, a girl entering her senior year of college who is spending her summer drawing cadavers. She desperately wants to win a scholarship that’s sponsored by a local museum and knows that drawing real cadavers will give her the experience she needs to win it. She ends up missing the last metro train home when she’s sneaking into the hospital program and there is where she meets Jack, a young mysterious boy. There’s a large chance that Jack is one of the most famous graffiti artists in San Francisco. Beatrix is instantly drawn to him, but can she handle all of the secrets that come with him?
I have tons and tons of feelings about this book. It’s hard to know exactly where to start with a book that you really love. However, I guess I’ll start by talking about what makes these characters so memorable. Beatrix is a unique and determined character who knows what she wants to do with her life. She longs to be like Leonardo da Vinci and to draw sketches of cadavers. She is determined to win a scholarship so she has the money to afford college. Jack is a character who is from a much different world from Beatrix. He’s a rich kid who also is a graffiti artist for reasons unknown to her. More on their personalities: Beatrix is a bit hard to crack at first and it bothered me how mean she was to Jack, but she quickly becomes more likable as the book progresses. Jack truthfully doesn’t have an unlikable moment in the story, you cheer for him from the start.
If you can’t already tell, I love Jack and Beatrix as a couple. They completely balance each other out and I love how honest they remain with one another. What I love the most about this book is that it has no love triangle, cheating, or a breakup between our two central characters. It simply is a journey with a few roadblocks in the way. However, these are natural things that are out of their control, not choices made by the characters. We always are certain that Jack and Beatrix are going to make it out together, but we wonder about the other characters as well.
In the end, I can’t recommend this book enough. There is one specific moment towards the end that explains the title of the book and I was definitely nervous that my heart was going to explode from cuteness overload. It was adorable without being overly sappy. I loved everything about this book and wouldn’t really change a thing about it. So if you have loved YA romances like My Life Next Door, On The Jellicoe Road, The Distance Between Us, or Since You’ve Been Gone, I think you’ll truly enjoy this one as well.
Rating: 10/10
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