Kelsey and Lewis have been best friends for ten years before, finally, he kisses her for the first time …
And leaves for a job in New York the next day.
Counting down the days until he comes back to Liverpool, Kelsey busies herself with a new job, a handful of forgettable dates and awkward, weekly catch-ups with her mum. Then the days turn into months. And the months turn into a year. But that’s OK: all great love stories have bumps in the road. Right?
But something happened to Lewis on the night of their first kiss which changed everything. And when Kelsey learns the devastating truth, she has to make a choice. Should she keep pushing for her happy or give up on the love she thought would last forever?
Kelsey has been waiting a year for Lewis to come back from New York. They chat over text every day, sharing jokes and memes, stories from their days. They never mention the Night Before He Left, when their years of friendship became something else with a single kiss. But just when she's expecting him home, things get complicated...and she will have to face up to their past.
This is one of the best representations of that awkward, not-quite-a-teen-but-not-really-an-adult stages I've seen. Kelsey is holding out for Lewis partly because it makes it easier to turn down other people, so she doesn't have to risk anything. Her friends are wonderful characters and I loved watching them together.
I can't talk much about the story without giving spoilers, but it does hit very hard when you realise what's going on. I was reading with my heart in my mouth for a lot of it, and I was never able to guess exactly what was going to happen. This is a beautiful paen to teenage love and to the deeper, realer love that can follow after it, if we're very, very lucky.
Book Recommendation: Normal People covers the same kind of time of life and the same kind of feelings. There was a very well received TV adaptation, but it deserves to be read in the writer's original words.
TV Recommendation: Love, Victor. Much like Kelsey, Victor is navigating the awkward in-between stage of life, caught between who he was and who he's becoming. This heartfelt series explores friendship, first love, and the fears that come with risking something real. If you connected with Kelsey’s journey, Love, Victor is a must-watch.
Young Love publishes on the 6th of March, 2025. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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