Book Review: Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Title: Two Way Street
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Series: Standalone
Pages: 288
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Date of Publication: June 26th 2007
Source: RAK from Sara @ Just Another Story
Synopsis from Goodreads: There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.

It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.


My Thoughts:
I had high expectations for this. I was told it was a funny, laugh out loud kind of book, one that was a quick read and unforgettable. And it was, but it didn't quite live up to these high expectations of mine. Almost, but not quite.

The characters felt real and like any teenager you would find starting university. Courtney was annoying and very whiny, and very indecisive about her feelings for Jordan, but that said, I did enjoy reading her narrative, as I felt she told the story a lot better than Jordan did.

Jordan, though, I really didn't like. In almost everything he says or thinks, he swears, and while I don't mind swearing, I think that when it is used so much in books it loses meaning and there is no longer any point to it. I think swearing is good when used in moderation, for example in the book when Courtney says the f word, you know how badly she is reacting to a situation because she doesn't say the word, only when she is extremely angry or upset. This gives the scene a lot more meaning and it has a greater effect on the reader, rather than Jordan who uses it in ways which I thought were unnecessary.

The plot was predictable and very sweet. Courtney and Jordan were the perfect couple. But then, all of a sudden, Jordan breaks up with Courtney for a mysterious internet girl. We find out that later on the book there is a secret that Jordan has been keeping, and as soon as it was revealed, I guessed that that was what was going to break the two of them up, and I was right. However, this didn't spoil the book for me, and I still enjoyed reading it, and finding out exactly how the plot unraveled. There was also a lot of sex in the book. I'm not saying this is bad, (after all it is a young adult book) I'm simply warning you ;)

Overall, I really enjoyed Two Way Street. It has a narratives from both Courtney and Jordan's point of view, and the chapters jump between before and during the road trip to Boston University that the whole book is based around. This made it easy to see both characters thoughts and let the reader get to know them better, and their relationship with each other. I also like how Two Way Street is a standalone novel, as it's nice to read a book and be finished with it, and not have to wait another year for the next book to out... ;) So if you're looking for a good contemporary novel about friendship and relationships that is also funny and light-hearted, I would recommend Two Way Street as a perfect fit.


My Rating:

I give it 3 Feet!

Challenges:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge #49