Over You by Amy Reed

* You can win a copy of Over You by clicking here.* And you can read an interview I did with Amy here.*

Max would follow Sadie anywhere, so when Sadie decides to ditch her problems and escape to Nebraska for the summer, it’s only natural for Max to go along. She is Sadie’s confidante, her protector, and her best friend. This summer will be all about them. This summer will be perfect.
But that’s before they meet Dylan.
Dylan is dangerous and intoxicating, and he awakens something in Max that she never knew existed. No matter how much she wants to, she can’t back away.
But Sadie has her own intensity, and has never allowed Max to become close with anyone else. And Max doesn’t know who she is without Sadie.
There are some problems you just can’t escape.

Amy Reed never ceases to amaze me. Every single time I start one of her books, I think that it can’t possibly be as good as the last one. And every single time I’m wrong. Reed’s writing is consistently amazing. All of her books left me with a case of “oh my gosh, this book is so fantastic I can’t even articulate my feelings towards it”, and Over You isn’t any different.

Max is a headstrong character who is able to successfully carry her own during the story. Her best friend Sadie, however, is nearly the exact opposite. Sadie is the wild one. She doesn’t have a problem with partying and breaking the rules. Despite Sadie being unruly, Max can’t help but follow her to Nebraska. In Nebraska, Max starts to realize that she wants to try and distance herself from Sadie, and build her own life. To me, Over You is about Max trying to overcome her previous life as Sadie’s “sidekick”. She has to learn to make her own choices, not ones that revolve around Sadie. However, Sadie also has a chance to grow. Sadie has to learn how to treat Max better- and how to overall treat people with more respect.

Over You, though at times slow, was a great novel. I loved that it wasn’t all about romance and boys (despite what the summary leads you to believe). It was about two friends trying to balance out their relationship with each other, while also trying to navigate being a teenager (which, let’s face it- is a really awkward time in life). Reed is a fantastic writer. Her writing is lyrical and upfront. I would highly suggest Over You, along with the rest of Reed’s novels.

 

FTC- Received as an eGalley from the publisher.