Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt

Here are Peyton and Jace, meeting on vacation. Click! It’s awesome, it’s easy, it’s romantic. This is the real deal.
Unless it isn’t. Because when you’re in love, you don’t just stop calling one day. And you don’t keep secrets. Or lie. And when your life starts falling apart, you’re supposed to have the other person to lean on.
Here are Peyton and Jace again, broken up but thrown together on a road trip. One of them is lying about the destination. One of them is pretending not to be leaving something behind. And neither of them is prepared for what’s coming on the road ahead…

Two-way Street was the first Lauren Barnholdt book I read, so when I found out that there was going to be a companion, I was overjoyed. Barnholdt did not disappoint at all. Peyton and Jace were both fantastic characters. They each had their own thing going on, but when they were together- the novel was completely electric. The chemistry between them was so good. I read this book quite awhile ago, but it’s still stuck in my head.

Jace was kind of dark and brooding, but in a super adorable and fantastic way. Though at times he annoyed me, it was mainly because of how Peyton thought of him. That being said, it was obvious that even when they were fighting, Peyton and Jace still cared deeply for each other.

Right of Way (like Two-way Street) had a road trip. Road trip books are some of my favorite kinds of books. However, it’s really easy to make them seem unnecessary and awkward. Barnholdt knows how to successfully write a road-trip book. My one tiff with this book is the pacing. The beginning of the book went by so fast. It was addicting and easy to read. However, towards the end, the pacing started to get really weird. The book felt longer and a little more messy.

Despite the pacing issue, I still really liked Right of Way. Lauren Barnholdt is one of the best Contemporary Young Adult novel writers. Right of Way makes a perfect summer read. I recommend Right of Way, along with Barnholdt’s other novels. They’re all really well written.

FTC- Received for review via Edelweiss.