You Can Go Your Own Way
– Eric Smith –
Inkyard Press
Published 2 November 2021
♥♥♥/♥
You Can Go Your Own Way is a cute YA romance, sure to be enjoyed by readers who love a simple storyline and ex-best-friends to enemies to lovers storyline.
In my head I have named this book the Pinball Book. Sorry, but it’s kind of stuck. Adam helps his mother run the family pinball arcade. It was his father’s passion and since his father’s death, Adam has done everything he can to keep that dream alive. Even alienating his once best friend. But he can’t help it if Whitney – or at least her dad – is the enemy. Whitney’s father wants to buy the arcade and add it to his growing eSports cafe locations. Whitney and Adam each run the social media accounts for their family businesses and online it is war. When a snowstorm throws the two together again, they rekindle their friendship and possibly something more.
This book seemed a little jumpy to me. Maybe it just hadn’t been through it’s final edits before I read it, but the storyline jumps a bit and left me feeling behind the plot a little in understanding the relationship between Adam and Whitney. One minute they are fighting and the next being kind to each other. And while some of that is deliberate to the story, as they try to figure out how to settle the fight of the present with the nice memories of the past and their hopes for the future, it left me a little confused. There was a lot more to this book than just the night they spend together in the arcade during the snowstorm, but it still wasn’t long enough for me to wholly buy into their romance. Friends? Sure, but there wasn’t enough chemistry and connection beyond their friendship. It is cute though.
I really enjoyed the setting of the book. Philadelphia is brought to life, from the cute little festival to the support the small businesses give each other. I also really liked Adam’s friend Chris and would have loved to see more of their friendship outside of just Chris encouraging Adam to talk. The makerspace was awesome and the character there fantastic. This added so much character to the story.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
More information
Category: Young adult fiction
Genre: Contemporary.
Themes: esports, pinball, grief, family, family business, social media, friendship, romance.
Reading age guide: Ages 12 and up.
Advisory: Coarse language, f*** (20), sh**(5), ass**** (5), di** (2), pi** (1).
Published: 2 November 2021 by Inkyard Press.
Format: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook. 336 pages.
ISBN: 9781335405685
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