Review: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Geography of You and Me

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Poppy

Publishing Date: April 15th, 2014

Pages: 337
Audio Length: 6 Hours and 29 Minutes

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
TW: N/A

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

 

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they’re rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.
Lucy and Owen’s relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and—finally—a reunion in the city where they first met.
A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith’s new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

What made me pick this book up: 

I had read another book by JES. I wanted to read another one and this cover is so cute.

What did I like about the cover: 

I love colors. That blue color is one of my favorites. I love the sunrise and the silhouette of the couple. I think it fits the book really well.

What made me read this book: 

Like I said, I had previously read The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by JES, and I loved it. I wanted to read another one. This one sounded really cute so I decided this was a good one to read next. 

What did I like the most: 

This book had a really interesting story about two teens who live in the same building, but are completely different, getting stuck in an elevator together during a black out.

They aren't stuck for very long, but the black out lasts all night, so they spend it together. They really get to know each other, and with any YA contemporary romance, it's insta love basically.

Of course I went into this book knowing it would be insta love, so it really didn't bother me. 

Anyway!

They end up parting ways and not seeing each other for a while. She emails him and he sends her post cards. It's all really cute.

The writing is of course really well done, I have noticed with Jennifer that she really puts a lot of emotions into her books. It's relatable while still being something a teenage girl might fantasize about. It's cute and cheery, but still has the underlying issues that many teens will be able to relate to. 

What didn't I like: 

I just didn't like this one nearly as much as The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. There was just something that didn't feel right.

The characters were shallow and not really people I'd like to know, I didn't get to know them as well as I would have liked to either. So maybe there would have been more to them, but they just kind of fell flat. 

I also had a problem with the back and forth-ness of it. I want to be with you, no I don't, yes I do. Blah blah blah. I understand they were both moving around a lot, and it was difficult. But it was also very frustrating. 

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Absolutely! I really want to read these ones:

Okay, I want to read all of hers. So here they are if you want to check them out.

After reading the other book by JES I was kind of disappointed by this book. It wasn't bad, but the other was much better.

“Maybe they were never meant to have more than just one night. After all, not everything can last. Not everything is supposed to mean something.” 
― Jennifer E. Smith, The Geography of You and Me

Jennifer E. Smith is the author of eight books for young adults, including WINDFALL and THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and her writing has been translated into 33 languages.