Review: I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
400 Pages
Release Date: February 3rd, 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4.5-5 STARS

Goodreads Summary: 
If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

Utterly heart wrenching, I'll Meet You There was a book that needed to be written. Seeing a life so different than the one I live and how the world works for them definitely opened a light. The only other book I read by Heather Demetrios was Exquisite Captive a paranormal/fantays-esque novel. So seeing the transition in writing style was pretty amazing (especially because both books are so different and it's crazy seeing an author go from genre to genre). I will admit that I do love her contemporary style more :P But they;re both awesome.

ANYWAYS, back to the story. In a sense, the whole girl in a poor town who dreams of leaving but meets a guy who came back from the Marines is kind of cliche (ish) but not really..? I'm not sure how to explain it :/ But even though it had that feel to it, it was just so much more real. Skylar (Sky), oh god, I love this girl so much. I love how she deals with the situation she's in. I love that she doesn't really look down upon Josh. I love that she takes it in her own hands to befriend him again. And I love that friendship (especially since they kind of have a history together). 

As for Josh. Well let's just say that my love for him is never ending. Like honestly he's gone through so much and I've wanted to hug him so many times in this book. It was so sad to see the effect the war had on him but it was so real that I was able to hurt from it. And just seeing the way both Josh and Skylar were able to lean on each other and rely on one another was beautiful. But let's be honest here: Their banter (despite their tough lives) was hilarious and so cute and just ALL THE FEELS.

Basically, I'll Meet You There is a book you don't want to miss out on. Especially all you contemporary fans and intense story readers. And this is kind of random but not: I loved the Author's Note at the back of the book because it gave a personal touch to the story and I loved that it did mention the other victims of the war and how this was just one side of the story. It was just honest and pretty fantastic. Happy Readings!