Drop Everything And Read discussion

What are your thoughts about this book?

I am going to start this book today!! It's free on amazon if you have kindle unlimited, in cause anybody didnt know!

I finished this book a few minutes ago, and it was amazing! I loved it!

That's awesome! I'm about half way through!

What do you think until now?

Please tell me I'm not the only one obsessed with this book!

You're not! Candidly, I didn't expect it to be so good!

It is a better read than expected for sure!

Ordering this book today! I've heard it's very good so I'm very excited

@Hailey. You will not be disappointed it was excellent. Although it was a tad bit predictable.

I agree with JoAnna.

I liked it, I really enjoy those type of stories, however it was predictable.

For the past year, Lilah Calloway has been living with her aunt in Austin, TX, but now must move back to her small hometown of Blackwater, TX, where her father is a high school baseball coach.

Lilah feels like an outcast, largely because of a traumatic event two years prior. She is basically one messed-up kid struggling with negative behavior, which includes hanging out with other seniors who indulge in drugs, alcohol, and sex. (There are technically no sex scenes in the book--just kissing and touching--but the book contains references to prior sexual encounters and a near rape).

As others mentioned, the plot is predictable. Readers sense from the start that Lilah is eventually going to make up with her former boyfriend, the incredibly handsome, muscular, smart, patient, and understanding Chase. The question is how.

The author reveals the cause of Lilah's conflict with Chase and her mother's history in small increments. I grew a bit weary of the back-and-forth game and the viewpoint that switches from Lilah to Chase to her mother and back again, but overall this is a decent read.

I felt Lilah's habit of spying on others (learning their secrets) was more of a tacked-on motif, mostly appearing at the beginning and the end. The author left me with unanswered questions. What happened to Lilah's grandparents? (none of whom appear to be alive or active in her life). How did her dad end up well-adjusted after all the drama with her mom?

By chapter 65, Lilah has finally figured things out: "I gardened because I was obsessed with the notion of finding beauty in the dirt. Dirt is chaos, gritty, full of bugs and decay, but from the dirt comes such immense beauty... I wanted to be made new... I'd been chasing spring ever since my mom had left me when I was seven."