DESCRIPTION ON AMAZON:
Will Nolan change his bad-boy ways for Vija?
17-year-old Vija Skalbe wants to be an all-American girl--no matter how hard her parents try to impose their strict Latvian standards on her. Then one day Nolan, a folksinger, steals her heart at a coffeehouse.
Soon Vija is cruising from one adventure to another, dizzy with joy, her new-found freedom and the excitement of being with the kind of guy who is a challenge.
However, when Vija's father has a heart attack, she must take over running the family lawn-care business. She feels overwhelmed until sweet brainiac Joel volunteers to help. He shares the workload and lifts her spirits with his humor. But it is Nolan who fills her heart.
It doesn't matter that Nolan wants everything his way. Or that he's constantly eyeing other girls. Or that he can be pouty and punitive. Or that he says she's seeing things all wrong. Until it does matter. But Vija's dazzled and in so deep. The thing is, she likes the excitement of being with him--and maybe Nolan will change his bad-boy ways for her.
MY REVIEW:
This story rang through to me, as a woman who survived those teenage years and also as a parent who has hoped I've instilled enough confidence and direction in my children not to tolerate a lot of the things Veja put up with in the book. She thinks she knows what she wants - didn't we all- and the good looking, motorcycle riding, smoldering folk singer, Nolan, casts attention her way sending her head over heels. There is a lesson to be learned here - and it is a good one for any young adult no matter what year it is - about valuing yourself and discerning which relationships are solid, true, and worth cultivating versus those that are superficial, manipulative, and stifling.
I found the setting very interesting and the history and culture of Veja's family was a very positive point. Thoroughly entertaining. I recommend it!
I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
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