Book: How To Love
Author: Katie Cotugno
Pages: 389
How Long it Took Me to Read: 3 day ..but I stopeed midway and read another book!
Plot Summary: Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he's never seemed to notice that Reena even exists until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated-and pregnant-Reena behind.
After: Almost three years have passed, and there's a new love in Reena's life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena's gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she's finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn't want anything to do with him, though she'd be lying if she said Sawyer's being back wasn't stirring something in her. After everything that's happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?
What I Liked: I liked the writing. It was sufficiently well-written and enjoyable to read. I also really liked the characters, both Sawyer and Serena or Reena as she is called throughout the book, are well-written and it felt like I really got to know them in course of the book. They were real and messy and we were given a lot of information and insight into their lives and I felt like I knew a whole lot about them as the books went on. Apart from our lead characters, the side characters, both sets of parents, Reena's brother and her friends as well as a few of Sawyer's bandmates were decent characters.
I also liked this was a set of Hispanic families, a nice change from just reading about all-white stories.
The book is told in a Before-After format which makes for an interesting story telling format.
I also liked the premise of the book, a relationship that goes through a trying thing like an unplanned pregnancy, abandonment and tries to pick up the pieces.
I also liked how the said unplanned/unwanted teenage pregnancy was handled in the book. Reena's father is clearly unhappy with the way Reena's life is turning out and his relationship with his daughter in the aftermath of this is strained and awkward. This awkwardness is shown brilliantly in the book.
What I didn't Like: Well....
I was bored precisely at 57% into this book. In fact, I put this book down and picked up a true-crime book instead. I was pretty freaking bored and thought about not even finishing this book!
My biggest grouse with the book was Sawyer! Reena LOVES Sawyer, since they were kids. Their families co-own a restaurant and she has seen Sawyer her whole life and loved him silently from the wings! I just didn't get why? Why love this guy so much? He is cute. Very cute. Plays in a band....but that just seems about it. Pretty shallow, superficial stuff really. Even once they get together he isn't particularly charming, nice or sweet. I really just don't get his appeal! Especially after he disappears for 2 years and doesn't even keep in touch, Reena still thinks of him as the bees knees. Also he keeps calling Reena Princess...UGH!
The disappearance of Sawyer was also dealt with an unnatural air of calmness. He wasn't a minor or anything but he still had a loving, well-to-do family and they were just meh..about him going AWOL for 2 years without any news!
Halfway through the book I just really couldn't care if Sawyer won Reena over again, I just really didn't care where this story went.
General Thoughts: This was an overall disappointing read and I just thought it would be a better story but I was so bored halfway in that I pretty much sped-read the last half.
Rating: 2/5
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