The Night We Said Yes

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 17, 2015

Review

Ella and her friends have just graduated from their Florida high school as this novel and are looking forward to their final summer together before moving on to their respective colleges. The last thing she's expecting is to re-encounter Matt, the boy who broke her heart the summer before when he moved away and unexpectedly cut off contact. In a dialogue-driven narrative that alternates chapter by chapter between the present and the same day a year ago, readers slowly gather the details of Ella and Matt's backstory, which involves a night of drinking on the roof of the high school and making out onstage at a concert among other hijinks. Ella is a sympathetic character that romance fans will root for - she is understandably hurt when Matt disappears after its clear that they have real feelings for one another. However, an abundance of relationship drama between their friends Meg and Jake seems extraneous and the flashback/flash forward conceit is interesting but in the end can be somewhat confusing. Readers looking for a light romance may appreciate the banter and the emotional tension, but this title is unlikely to appeal broadly.

Overall Book Score: fair