The Geography of You and Me

Written by: Jennifer E. Smith
A big bag of Sweethearts would go well with this sweet novel!

This novel follows the life of Lucy, the daughter of wealthy but detached and barely-ever-there parents, and Owen, who struggles daily with the recent death of his mother and caring for his desolate father. One night during a NYC blackout, Lucy and Owen are trapped in an elevator together, and slowly realize that they have found their soul mates. They fall in love, but cruel fate separates them when they both end up moving away from the city, and from each other. The reader follows their up and down relationship over continents and through time zones, and watches as they eventually figure out how to deal with their complicated romance.

This book was... pretty average, actually. It certainly wasn't bad, and I'm all for a good romance, but the way the novel was written was just a tad too unorganized. Something just didn't quite click.

Lucy and Owen are both adorable people, romantics with a knack for witty banter (something we all wish we had), but unfortunately I thought they were just a little too similar. Their backgrounds were different, but their voices were the same. The dialogue was almost like reading the same person having a conversation with him/herself. I found it difficult to believe in these two people who had 100% compatibility.

Furthermore, the timeline was a little weird. Owen and Lucy spent too much time apart, brooding about how much they miss each other, and not enough time actually together. I don't disbelieve in love at first sight, but there wasn't enough of that kind of thing to make me remember why the pair actually wanted to be together.

All in all, this book certainly wasn't bad, it was just not satisfying. There was no suspense, no doubt in my mind about what would happen, no heartbreak that I felt I could relate to. Lucy and Owen weren't desperately in love enough for me to believe they could survive their geographical separation, and there wasn't enough together-ness to keep me interested.

I don't want to trash this book though, it's not that bad. I was on the edge of liking it, and just happened to fall on the not-so-much side. Smith is a very appealing writer, and I was impressed with her use of metaphor in a number of places. The scenery is beautiful, and the subplots of Owen and Lucy learning how to deal with their parents were really good. Their relationships were perhaps the ones I was most invested in.

So, if you're bored and have this book lying around, The Geography of You and Me is still a decent quick read.

2.25/5 stars