Review: Between Now & Never by Laura Johnston

Buh boom, buh boom.

My heart thrusts with a force that takes me by surprise. Telling me something I don’t understand. A splitting pain, a longing to slip back under. They tell me I was in a hit-and-run, but I can’t remember what happened that night. All I know is that I woke up with pictures in my pocket, a card from one of those photo booths in the mall. And I’m in the pictures. Cody Rush. Me and…

Julianna.

Her brother was there that night, and my dad, the FBI agent, was the one who put her mom behind bars. What’s the connection? And why won’t Julianna talk to me now? Somehow, she holds the key to it all, and getting close–real close—to her for the answers I need will be no hardship at all…

ebook, 336 pages

Expected publication: March 31st 2015 by KENSINGTON

Terri's Thoughts

** I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Kensington via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is March 31st 2015**

I knew I had to get my hands on this book after reading Johnston's first book Rewind To You (review found here).  She added a voice to the YA genre that was just a little bit different than what you find out there today and it is refreshing.  This book did not disappoint.

This story was quite a bit different than her first.  A little bit darker but not too much so as to lose the YA audience.  It is still filled with teen angst, two people from opposite sides of the track being attracted to each other and enough social and emotional drama to satisfy.

Both Cody and Julianna had plenty of emotional baggage to keep the story going.  Cody with his lost memory from the accident and the death of his little brother many years ago.  Julianna with her mom in prison, her brother possibly doing drugs and financial worries to boot.  Then you throw in the fact that Cody's father is the one who put Julianna's mother behind bars.  This should be more than enough to keep the two apart....right?

I am sure that you can guess that things are not so simple and that the two keep getting thrown back together.  The story was dripping with anticipation of whether the two could overcome their hurdles and find their way to each other.  As in any YA love story this is what pieced the story together.  Two people who have a spark together and a million reasons why they should not act on it.  You get the drift...but I enjoyed it!

I have come to appreciate Johnston's writing style and her works thus far.  I hope that I have discovered her early enough in her writing career that I will be able to enjoy many more of her books in the future.  I will be keeping my eyes peeled for her next work and hopefully it will not be a long wait.

About the Author

Laura Johnston is the author of REWIND TO YOU and BETWEEN NOW AND NEVER, contemporary YA novels published by eKensington. She fell in love with the young adult genre both through her experience in high school as well as her job later as a high school teacher. Laura enjoys running, playing tennis, sewing, traveling, writing, and above all, spending time with her husband and kids.

Website:  http://www.laurajohnstonauthor.com/
Twitter:  lauralojohnston