As much as I complain about romance books, I’m a sucker for the-boy-next-door trope. Throw in a sprinkle of the-one-that-got-away, and I’ll be absolutely hooked. A quick glance at the book’s description and the cover design and it would seem Our Way Back to Always is out of my normal reading realm. In fact, I was dragging my feet getting to this book because I thought I wouldn’t like it. Thank you Past Me for knowing better, pre-ordering this, and making sure I read it. It was a great book to escape into.

Like so many YA contemporaries, Our Way Back to Always starts the summer before senior year. We meet Lou - Luisa - who is struggling to fulfill her own high expectations and trying to get into an elite college. We also meet Sam, whose future plans have been scrambled by his father’s recent death. Both POV characters struggle under the weight of expectation, whether it be the world’s or their own. Both characters are likable, and I appreciated the internal and external struggles that motivated them. The romance was well-founded, and I really enjoyed watching an old friendship rekindle.

Where Moreno excelled in building her protagonists, her supporting characters were a bit less enticing. Both Rocky and Benny were functional characters at best, existing only to help Sam and Lou along their journey. Sam’s family serves in a similar manner, as does most of Lou’s. The only supporting character who had depth and purpose was Elena, Lou’s older sister. After finishing Our Way Back to Always, I learned this is the second book in Marino‘s contemporary universe. If she were to write a third book, I would want to know Elena’s story.

The plot moves at a steady pace, with plenty of landmarks and side quests to keep things interesting. If anything, there was a little bit too much going on and sections felt rushed or underdeveloped. As somebody who is interested in coding and female coders, I was disappointed we didn’t delve further into Lou’s app. Similarly, marching band is described as one of Sam’s joys early in the book, but fades into the background as he takes a different path (except the fact he plays drums - that stays relevant). I liked that the little bits and pieces of the bucket list kept the story moving, but Moreno relies on the reader getting caught up in the adventure and not noticing how shallow some aspects of the plot are.

Stylistic criticisms aside, I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I liked the complicated emotions and I think Moreno did an excellent job relaying the experience of somebody who fell in love with their best friend. I liked that Our Way Back to Always encouraged folks to take a less traditionally celebrated road to success. Our culture is extremely determined to enforce a rigid set of expectations upon young adults, but we need to recognize these expectations are not the only stepping stones to a good life. Moreno reminds us of that in her story and I adored it.

This book made me smile, made me sad, made me wish I had a private swimming pool, and made me want to build a treasure hunt. Our Way Back to Always is more than a light, fun beach read. In the guise of YA romance, this contemporary novel explores themes of familial responsibility, grief, and self acceptance. I really liked it, and I can certainly see myself reading it again. ( )

I really liked Don't Date Rosa Santos, but this book didn't really work for me. Maybe it would be enjoyable for younger teens, but there were too many things that were implausible or unrealistic. Plus there was way too much telling and not enough showing. ( )