Personal Response:
I really enjoyed this book, because it was very relatable. I enjoyed how the character’s relationships developed, and how they resembled real high school/college relationships. My favorite part was when Jade found out that her dad is Royce Sinclair because it was a major plot twist that the reader did not see coming. Overall, I thought this was a well-written book with many plot twists that kept the reader interested in the book.
Plot Summary:
Jade and Garrett's relationship continues to grow in Loving You. Garrett's dad and sister accept their relationship, but Garrett's stepmom Katherine still hates Jade. Garret decides that he is going to make every holiday special for Jade, since she did not celebrate them growing up. He takes her out for a special date for New Year’s Eve. They go to New York where they stay in Garrett's dad’s apartment and go out for supper. At supper, they find out that Garrett's stepmom is cheating on his dad. While in New York, Jade bumps into a strange man who she sees multiple times. After they get back from New York, they decide to stay at Garrett's house for the rest of winter break. One day, Garrett's little sister goes missing so everyone searches the property to find her. As Jade is searching through the woods, she trips on her and cuts her leg and gets a concussion. Garret takes her to see the doctor, and when they get back Garrett's dad buys her a car to thank her for finding his daughter. When they return to school, Jade is assigned a new lab partner named Carson. He is also from the midwest and appears to like Jade. Garret does not approve of Carson, which causes Jade and Garrett's first fight. After Jade convinces Garret she is not leaving him, he tells her that he is taking her on another special date for Valentine’s Day. Garret takes Jade to see the ocean since she has never seen it. When they return to school, Jade has to meet up with Carson to finish a lab report. When she leaves the building, she feels dizzy from her concussion, so she sits down. The book ends with the strange man from New York walking up to her, and telling her that he is her grandfather who she has never known about.
Characterization:
Jade Taylor is an eighteen-year-old girl who attends Moorhurst College. She is very smart, caring, stubborn, and pride driven. She is average height, has brown hair, is skinny, and has jade green eyes. Her family lives in Iowa, and she rarely gets to see them. Her boyfriend is Garrett Kensington.
Garrett Kensington is an eighteen-year-old male who also attends Moorhust. He is smart, brave, protective, and kind. He is tall, skinny, has brown hair, and brown eyes. He lives in Connecticut along with the rest of his family. His girlfriend is Jade Taylor.
Setting:
Loving You takes place in Connecticut. Jade and Garret both attend Moorhurst College. Garrett lives about ten minutes away from college at his parent’s mansion. The majority of the book takes place in the dorms or in classrooms. The reader can interpret the time period as modern because the technology matches today’s. Without modern technology, Jade and Garret could not have communicated while Jade was away on her road trip with Carson.
Theme:
The theme of this book is to be prepared for unexpected surprises. Jade thinks she is getting into a normal relationship when she meets Garret, but she would have never guessed the surprises that come with him. Jade finds out that Garrett's dad is in a secret organization, she receives an injury from looking for his sister, and she finds out that she has an unknown grandfather.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to girls the age of thirteen or older. There are some difficult concepts that might be hard to understand if the reader is younger, such as politics and diseases like multiple sclerosis. This book is more feminine than neutral because the book is filled with romance. I would give this book a five out of five stars because it kept my interest throughout the whole book.