The University Student

I liked how the story is being told through Melina's journal entries. I am so used to reading the play by play of direct events, so for once to have the events being told through one's personal journal entries was quite intriguing. Definitely made the book unique from other romances I have read. Also, being a university student too, I was able to relate to many of the characters when it came to the struggles with school, identity, and fitting in. I felt like I was able to connect with the characters on a deeper level, since I am of a similar age dealing with similar things. Also, I was always rooting for Kevin right from the start, so I was really happy that Melina finally came to her senses about who is really going to be there for her, and got out of the infatuated relationship she was in. A wonderful read!

Feeling like you don't fit in at University is a fairly normal thing, but feeling like you don't want to fit in might be even worse. Following Melina through her dairy entries, we discover a girl who is yearning for something more, something else, family, a life, a connection somewhere else. I thought the story was really interesting but I had a hard time connecting to university student Melina. She often felt pretentious, too old for her words, and frankly unlikable. This could be because we're only seeing the story from Melina's eyes and how she sees herself. It also felt like this was a novel from translation that could do with a little more warming up. Overall I thought it was an interesting way to tell this coming of age story and would definitely read more from Maran.

3/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd., Matador for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.