When I first began reading this book, I had no clue what to expect. The description looked interesting enough, but historical or time travel books have never really appealed to me. If you also share that belief but still love unique YA romances, my advice is to just jump right into this book. Once I did this, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I genuinely enjoy it, and couldn’t put it down. It’s a gorgeous book about love and coming of age. Renee Collins’s writing style is so compelling and masterfully well done. It reads like a contemporary novel, and therefore the other elements actually make sense in a way. Yes, this isn’t exactly a possible thing that could happen to any of us. Truthfully though, that didn’t matter to me as a reader. I still found myself connected to Cassandra and Lawrence in a way that was unexpected to me personally.
Until We Meet Again follows the sassy and witty Cassandra as she spends the summer in a small Massachusetts shore town. She meets a mysterious boy named Lawrence along the beach. He claims that his uncle is the owner of the private beach, and also that the year is 1925. What happens next is a smart and beautiful unraveling of events as Cass falls in love with him. The story is filled with time travel, mobsters, tragedy, and other fascinating events that will keep you engaged the entire time.
What I loved most about this book was how amazing the characters were. I loved that Cass started out as this selfish and slightly immature girl, but gradually evolved into a caring and more mature character. I can’t really think of any character that developed and grew so much as a character in the way that Cass did throughout this fast paced novel. Lawrence was an incredible character from the very beginning. He’s a total swoonworthy character that made a wonderful book boyfriend to say the least. At first, it was a little bit strange once you come to terms with the fact that he is living in the 1920’s while Cass is living in the present day. Once again though, it was the way that Renee wrote Lawrence that made it work. She used a lot of vintage 1920’s lingo that was adorable, and I also loved that his fashion was also appropriate for the times.
There is a ton of things happening in this book, so much that sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. However, the plot did work for me. I won’t lie, the side of 1925 is one that I have never read about in a YA book, which makes Until We Meet Again even more creative. She reveals a dark side to the era that involves mobsters, tragedy, and a few murder mysteries thrown in for good measure. I felt like the dual POV’s gave us the opportunity to learn more about Lawrence and his complicated and dramatic, but always intriguing life in 1925.
So to wrap this review up, I just want to say that the ending gave me ALL of the feels. Obviously, I don’t want to give anything away here, but I will tease that it’s sure to ignite a combination of emotions for the reader. Do I think that everyone is going to love this book? No, I don’t, because some readers may not connect to the characters like I did. I do believe that there’s a high chance that you’ll love it if you’re looking for a book that combines different genres to make this intense and beautiful story. This is one that will stick with me for awhile and I’m glad that I pushed aside all of my preconceived notions and gave it a shot!
RATING: 8/10
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