The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Rating: 3.5 stars
Lucy is the daughter of two parents who spend most of their time traveling overseas for work and pleasure. Owen is the son of a new apartment manager, who is struggling with grief over the death of his mother. They live in the same New York City apartment building and finally meet while stuck in an elevator during a citywide blackout. They have an instant connection and spend the night talking to each other on the roof of their building gazing at the stars. The next day circumstances beyond their control take them apart from each other, but they keep in touch by sending the occasional postcard – an inside joke they have from their overnight conversation.
Throughout the book, Lucy moves all over Europe and Owen moves all over the western states. They drop a postcard to each other every time they move and occasionally write emails. They begin other relationships, but never forget each other. They feel powerfully connected to each other, even though they had so little time to get to know each other.
Overall, I felt like this book had a lot of potential. I loved the beginning when they met and seemed so good for each other. They weren’t living under the best circumstances, but they both made the most of it and looked out for the people in their families. But for so much of the book they were apart! It’s hard to really feel invested and deeply root for characters that never have any interaction. I didn’t see have any of that spark I so often long for in juicy YA romances. I liked the characters, but the book just didn’t hit me where I had hoped.
