Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on The Boy From the Woods Blog Tour hosted by Girls Heart Books Tours. Click here to follow along with tour. :D
Title: The Boy From the Woods
Author: Jen Minkman
Publication date: December 1st 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Source: Review copy
~ Synopsis ~
Julia fell down on her knees next to his lifeless body, her heart filling with dread as she noticed the left side of his face was covered in blood. He had fallen off the motorbike, hitting his temple on a sharp edged rock. His head injury looked really, really bad.
"Michael?" she whispered softly, putting a trembling hand on his forehead. "Can you hear me?"
Julia has been in love with Michael for years. He's the hottest guy in school, and she can't believe her luck when they finally hit it off during Senior Prom. Her dream doesn't last though: after a few dates, he callously dumps her out of the blue. Summer vacation starts with Julia feeling heartbroken and miserable.
But then she rescues Michael in the woods when he has a motorcycle accident in a heavy thunderstorm. From that point onward, her life is turned upside down. Michael has changed completely after the blow to the head that nearly killed him...and he wants her back. But why is he so different? And will she be able to trust him this time around?
Can the boy who broke your heart ever win it back again..?
~ My Thoughts ~
My Rating: 4 / 5
The Boy From the Woods is so much more than a romance - it's a mysterious puzzle waiting to be solved. I love it when I'm reading a book, start developing my own theories as to what's going on, and new ideas start coming to me. It was really cool to enjoy the story while I was taking pieces of the puzzle and working on how everything fit together.
I thought the dialogue was witty and well written. I loved the dynamics of Julia's group of friends but didn't fully love Julia herself because she needed more respect for herself. Michael was not worthy of her feelings - they basically had a one night stand because after that night, he stopped talking to her. That's pretty crappy, and that alone would make me want to stay away from him forever. Of course I didn't blame her for saving his life when she found him in the woods - no matter what he had done, I would've helped him, too. She did the right thing, and I respected her for it.
I think at first she became intrigued with Michael again because she knew something was different about him. It was so strange that he was released so soon from the hospital after the horrific accident he was in, not to mention his amnesia seemed to have disappeared overnight. Suddenly, he's everywhere Julia is, and it became annoying to be honest. He remembered how he had treated her before the accident, yet it seemed because of his miraculous personality change, he expected her to embrace the new him and forget about the recent past.
While I wanted to find out what had happened to him, I can honestly say I didn't want Julia to end up with him. I rooted for Thorsten, her new neighbor. It was kind of odd to me that Julia met Thorsten not long after Michael's accident. I started wondering if they were the same person or something, lol. Thorsten was incredibly understanding though Julia was sending out mixed signals. At least she was honest with him when she told him how confused she felt and wasn't quite over Michael.
I wasn't expecting the ending at all and was really happy with the unexpectedness of it. I liked the way the author integrated Celtic beliefs into the story, and I'm looking forward to the next book. This was definitely a different and absorbing story!
~ Purchase Links ~
~ Book Trailer ~
~ Soundtrack to the Book ~
~ About the Author: Jen Minkman ~
Jen Minkman (1978) was born in Holland, in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. When she was 19, she moved between The Hague, Salzburg (Austria), Brussels (Belgium) and Cambridge (UK) to complete her studies in intercultural communication. She is currently a teacher of English, career counsellor and teenage coach at a secondary school in Voorburg, Holland.
She tries to read at least 100 books a year (and write a few, too!). She is a published author in her own country, and translates her own books from Dutch into English for self publication. In her spare time, she plays the piano, the guitar and the violin. For every novel she writes, she creates a soundtrack.
'I have always been drawn to writing. My first book was a scifi novel at the age of eight, which I painstakingly typed out on my dad's typewriter and illustrated myself. Nowadays, I stick to poetry, paranormal romance, chicklit and/or fantasy. In my home country, I am the first-ever published writer of paranormal romance, and I will gradually make my books also available in English (seeing I have to rewrite and translate the books myself, this will take some time!).
~ Social Links ~
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/490157167766976/
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