For months now I entered what my friend Joe @Storey of Stories imagined as brand new meme called “First Impression”.

It’s a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only two sentences in the book, a chapter or two , maybe a little farther.  The goal is to  give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.  It will be fun to go back to this post once you’ll have finished the book! Did you think you’d love it and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you right all along?

Today I am posting the First Impression for a book I am way past the middle BUT I noted my first impression when I began the book.

I’ll Meet you There by Heather Demetrios had been recommended by Tanya @girlplusbook in a context that must have been about “underrated books” or “books you’d like more people to know about” or something like that.

And I was really intrigued by her being so touched by this story. You can read her review HERE

I looked into the book and bought it immediately!

The opening lines:

“The Mitchells’ backyard was packed full of recent and not-so-recent grads in various satge of decay. The girls leaned against one another, wilted flowers that looked on while the guys got louder, sweatier.

I craned my neck and scanned the crowd for Christ, but my wingman had disappeared.

“Shit,” I muttered. Like I needed any more confirmation of my loner status.”

I was already “in” the scene.

This story felt real to me. No sugarcoated but down to earth and I smell the smoke of bong, the sweat of overheated bodies. I …

Heather Demetrios has a realism in her writing that gripped me in its clutches right from the start. Compelling.

I predict a 4,5 stars.

Synopsis

If Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing separating Skylar from art school is three months of summer…until Skylar’s mother loses her job, and Skylar realizes her dreams may be slipping out of reach.

Josh had a different escape route: the Marines. But after losing his leg in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be.

What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and, soon, something deeper.

Compelling and ultimately hopeful, this is a powerful examination of love, loss, and resilience.

Meet me next week or rather in a few days to see if my prediction was accurate!

Last week I predicted a 4,5 stars for Hero at the Fall.

Click on the graphic below to read what’s been a 5 stars review!

Are you reading anything interesting? What are your impression?

Happy Friday and thanks for reading!

Sophie