I liked this more than I'd expected. I knew I'm going into a young adult coming of age story but I definitely hadn't thought Neely to become a matured person so soon. Sure, the circumstances around her changed her but the fact that her views and thoughts changed so drastically was a bit too much for me. Anyway, the central idea of the story with Neely moving to California, finding a good friend in the boy next door, strangling herself in her parents' issues and growing up sooner than one would, is well thought of and certainly commendable. The emotions are well-built and I loved the story for it's firsts; everything from the first crush to the first love, to the first time finding herself in a difficult situation, Neely comes alive to me through the transparent narrative.

I would recommend this to all those looking for a quick and sweet coming of age story which doesn't center around, but is efficiently topped with, a romance of firsts.

I requested this book on NetGalley this morning and it made for a good read in between work breaks. Neely moves from Tennessee to California and she's dealing with the consequences of a nasty separation between her parents. Her mother's taken to drinking alcohol and venting her anger and bitterness at her father for leaving her for an actress. In all this, Neely becomes friends with Seth Drake. He is the one friend who she cherishes and soon their friendship escalates into romance, well, until Neely has to pack up and leave again.
This was a quick read for me and the author did not give away most of the details so as to keep me wanting more. It's a good start to a series and anyone who reads it cannot help but ship Seth and Neely. However, I have the feeling that it gets better in the series and there's more depth to the characters to keep me glued to the books. Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.