Chasing Springby R.S. Grey
Genres: Contemporary, Mature, Romance, Young Adult
Publication Date: February 1, 2016 by Self-Published
Format: eARC
Goodreads | Amazon
Source: Author
I thought I'd left Blackwater, Texas behind for good. I didn't belong in the small town, but my dad wouldn't listen. He dragged me back home in his beat-up truck and dropped a bomb along the way: Chase Matthews was moving in with us. He was the golden boy of my high school, my former best friend, and the last person I wanted sleeping across the hall. His presence was too great a reminder of the ghosts I was trying to forget.
I didn't ask for a hero. I don't want to be saved.
To me, Lilah Calloway meant late nights sneakin' out, moonlit hair, and sparklers in July. She was my best friend until the day she left and I'd assumed Blackwater had seen the last of her. Then, like a tempest, she rolled back into town for the final half of senior year. The chopped hair and dark devil-may-care attitude warned most people away, but I knew if I fought hard enough, I could find the lost girl.
I didn't want to be her hero. Some girls don't need to be saved.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
First book I read by R.S. Grey and can I just say it was a success! I’ve heard her books are always filled with humor but when I read the blurb for this one, I knew it was going to be filled with feels and it was! It was dark, dealing with drug and alcohol abuse plus dealing with the aftermath of a family member’s choices.
Lilah’s mom and Chase’s mom were childhood friends, counting on one another all the time, having a tight friendship and they both were pregnant around the same time. Lilah and Chase were born and since their mothers were always together, Lilah and Chase became best friends growing up. But tragedy stroke and it put a stretch in Lilah’s and Chase’s friendship, to the point where Lilah moves out-of-town with her aunt. Now, Lilah is back and she doesn’t want anything to do with Chase but how can you avoid someone when he lives across the hall from your room?
Lilah was a bit of a complex character that I ultimately loved. She was strong on the outside but on the inside, she was vulnerable. She didn’t like confrontation or talking about the past. She didn’t want to let anyone else in her life but Chase won’t give up on having his best friend back. He helps her with the flower bed that Lilah and her mom had started when Lilah was a kid, he’s there to make her laugh and smile. He really was sweet with her and giving her time until he pushed it too far but the end result was not entirely cliché. Lilah and Chase talked about everything but Lilah needed space to clear her head. She didn’t fall at Chase’s feet. She simply took a mature decision, thought things through and later on did she make the ultimate decision.
I would say the blurb doesn’t really show what this book is about. I had a feeling it would be on the heavy side but I didn’t know to what extent it would be. This book is told in two first person’s point of view for Lilah and Chase and one as a third person’s point of view for Elaine, Lilah’s mother. I was eager to read her story and I’m so glad it was included in the book because the story would have been lacking something. Reading about Elaine made me start to slowly understand the background of the story and why Lilah and Chase separated from one another. The story was very impacting. It was something I wasn’t expecting at all.
R.S. Grey surprised me with her eloquent writing. From writing books with lots of humor, to focusing on something with depth and with impact shows how great of an author she is. I cannot wait to explore more of her writing by reading her other books. And I’m so glad she published this story and didn’t give up on it (read the acknowldgements section and you’ll know what I’m talking about so go buy the book 😉 )
About R.S. Grey
I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things… everyday.
I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I’m a comedy geek and love all things “funny”. Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.
- I’m Back to Blogging - July 28, 2019
- Laugh Out Loud Rom-Com: Petal Plucker by Iris Morland - April 9, 2019
- Different & Refreshing YA Mystery: Killing November by Adriana Mather - March 26, 2019
Wow! This sounds intense! It looks like there’s so much going on in this book. I’ve wanted to try a book by this author for a while now since they’ve gotten so much praise. I’m glad this first book by her for you was a winner, Genesis. I think I need to meet Lilah and get to know her.
Lovely review, Genesis!
There really is more to it. Now I need to read her other books!!
Thank you!
I need for my copy to get here already cause I need a new R.S. Grey book! I’m very excited to see how this book defers from her previous titles. I always love it when authors branch out of the genre they write in and try something new! I’m so glad you loved your first R.S. Grey book. NOW GO READ SCORING WILDER ASAP! AND THEN TEXT ME YOUR UPDATES!
I can’t wait for you to get it and read it! I think she did a great job for this YA story.
Why did you have to write that in caps?!! I just went to Amazon and bought it…
You totally have me intrigued with this one. I love a heavy book and this sounds awesome. Glad you enjoyed. Great review!!
I really enjoyed it 🙂 Thank you !
Great review, Gen! I am so excited for this one. Firstly, that cover. Gorgeous! And the synopsis pulls me right in. I’ve never read anything by Rachel before but I just saw a video on Facebook this morning of her and her husband promoting the book and they are so completely adorable. I want to be best friends with her. LOL
The cover is so pretty!
I need to see that video! Her husband helped her with the writing and everything and he was the one who motivated her to publish the book 🙂
I didn’t know that! So cool. 🙂 Not sure if the link will work but here it is: https://www.facebook.com/authorrsgrey/videos/1670552076530942/?pnref=story
I’ve read a couple of Grey’s books and I DO love her humor! So I’m excited that this has some more serious undertones in it! I definitely will need to grab this one!
I bought Scoring Wilder so I hope to explore more of her books soon 🙂
Nice review, Genesis! I read two other books by R.S. Grey. One was okay, the other was complete disaster and I was wary to try her new books ever since. But this novel sounds quite good. I love novels with depth so maybe I should give this author another chance 🙂
I haven’t read her other books so I can’t really judge there but I really enjoyed this one 🙂
I have such a hard time with NA books lately, I feel like I’ve read everything. I mean most times I don’t mind the cliches, but SOMETHING has to be special and unique. I have been in the mood for a good NA lately so I’m gonna go add this one to my list. Loving the cute cover, glad you liked this one!
This is actually Young Adult 🙂 I would say it’s Young Adult Mature since the characters are younger than what NA stands for and the author said it’s YA. Mature, because it talks about drug abuse and alcohol abuse. I haven’t really read any amazing NA books lately or NA really so I can’t suggest any books :/ I hope you find one soon and one that you like 🙂