This book is what got me started on my Katie Mcgarry kick. I don't rate any romance novel (especially YA) above a 4 simply because they're kind of my innocent pleasure reads and I tend not to think too hard about them, which is the point. Also I'm way too old to be reading this stuff but I do. Something something the nostalgia of when my life felt like it held endless possibilities and all that.

Echo and Noah are VERY lovable characters; because of that I was able to look past a lot. Like his terrible dialogue at times. The way he used pet names made me cringe, and the description of him at the beginning reminded me of one of those weird guys with long hair in the front and short hair in the back that wore exclusively tripp pants and were really into numetal. But through the development of the characters I was able to forget about that. 

I also love Katie's writing, even when it's not a book that particularly interests me at the beginning, I somehow always end up invested in these troubled teen romances despite being 30 and jaded. Something about her writing just keeps me coming back for more. I also love that her books are pretty time-neutral; I really hate romance novels that include too many time-specific cultural details and references. She avoids that for the most part.

I've now read this entire series and I'm getting started on Thunder Road. Of the couples in this particular series, Echo and Noah are up there in my favorites. My hands-down favorite couple overall is Jonah and Stella from one of the novellas. My favorite regular-length book couple is Abby and Logan, but Echo and Noah are a close second. My favorite male character overall is Isaiah and my favorite female character overall is Stella.

Overall, I recommend this series as long as you're aware it's all cheesy romances with troubled teens as the protagonists. The author does decent research for her books, which really shows in the writing, and structures her books really well. You can feel how much she cares about her work in her writing. And her characters are well-distinguished from each other with their own personalities. And the follow up next generation book was a good read, too. Katie was not lazy writing a book about Echo and Noah's daughter. You could tell she really wanted to do it and pulled it off beautifully.

I mostly enjoyed this book. It reads as very teen/YA but had an enjoyable storyline. I particularly appreciate that even with the dual narrative both main characters got equal depth within their individual stories. At times I found it a little too cliché or cringy but overall a book I'm glad I read 

I highly enjoy Katie mcgarry books, especially listening to them! I enjoyed Echo and Noah’s story very much! 

Echo has been struggling the remember a traumatic memory for a couple of years, and her brain fights so hard not to let her, Noah is struggling with trying to get custody of his brothers, years after his parents death, they come together to help each other, and get closer then they ever thought they would 

Noah and Echo were such interesting characters and their growth as individuals and together was so satisfying, I loved this story and recommend you read it, it is a first in a series. So check it out! 
3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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