Book Review: Back to You by Priscilla Glenn
When Lauren Monroe first laid eyes on Michael Delaney back in high school, she had every reason to stay away from him; within minutes of their first encounter, his volatile actions confirmed his notorious reputation. But Lauren saw something in him that caused her to question his bad-boy persona, and against her better judgment, she took a chance. She had no way of knowing that the unlikely friendship they formed would become so important to her…. Or that it would end so painfully.
Eight years later, when Lauren begins her new job at Learn and Grow Day Care, Michael is the last person she expects to see. Refusing to revisit the hurt and confusion of their past, Lauren vows to keep her distance from him. But staying away from Michael proves to be more difficult than she thought, despite her lingering grief and her instincts for self-preservation.
As Lauren and Michael recall the friendship that changed them forever and the events that tore them apart, will they finally be able to heal? Or will the ghosts of Michael’s past prove to be too much to overcome?
-Official Synopsis for Back to You by Priscilla Glenn
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It has been a while since I’ve read a book that I thoroughly enjoyed this much, but Back to You has found itself on my “Favorites” bookshelf. From the first chapter, I was drawn into the story. Without giving too much away – because I really want you to read this book to see for yourself – Back to You follows the story of two best friends with radically different upbringings, who fall out of touch only to stumble back into each other’s lives eight years later.
The heart of the story deals with anger and a loss of trust – though the reader is unsure why – on Lauren’s part. Though she’s grown up to be an independent, successful woman with a passion for working with children, her former friendship with Michael has far-reaching consequences in her life and on her ability to love.
As is often done with stories dealing with characters’ pasts, Glenn used the mixed-timeline method of storytelling. I can’t count the number of times that I have gotten lost in a story only to turn a page, find the story jumping several years into the past or future, and totally lose the feel of – and interest in – the overall story.
However, Glenn successfully balanced the time jumps, traversing the present and the past, from both Lauren’s and Michael’s points-of-view, with ease. This is no easy feat, and can often come off as disjointed and misplaced inserts that take you out of the story and quickly make you lose interest. Instead, what the reader gets is an emotionally-filled journey that takes you from the lives of children and teens to their adult counter-parts and their very realistic, divergent paths.
Of course, all of this to say that I genuinely enjoyed Back to You, and will definitely be following Priscilla Glenn, already anticipating her next work. It is an easy read, and you will likely struggle to put the book down. With its modern, believable story and great character development, I will be surprised if this book doesn’t hit the bestseller list.
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Now for the important news: you can purchase this book for a steal on Amazon – for the Kindle, but you can also read it on your PC (coming from a Nook user) through the Kindle for PC app – only $2.99. Of course, you can also purchase the paperback version for a bit more though Amazon’s website. Either way, you don’t want to miss out on this one.