Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Jordan and Courtney were an unlikely high school couple, but it really didn’t matter because they were in love. They even planned to drive together to college orientation since they’re going to the same college. But then Jordan dumps Courtney for a MySpace girl. Courtney is devastated, but she won’t give Jordan the satisfaction of seeing her mope, even though that’s extremely difficult for her. And now they still have that road trip to go on since it’s too late to change plans. What Courtney doesn’t know, though, is that there’s a reason Jordan wants to go on this road trip with Courtney and a couple secrets he hasn’t told her which have to do with why they broke up in the first place. Two-Way Street is the story of first love and true love in the midst of hardship.

Two-Way Street was a much better novel than I thought it would be. It’s told from both Jordan’s and Courtney’s perspectives so you understand both their sides of the story. I enjoyed the flashbacks to before the trip, because it was really obvious how perfect Jordan and Courtney were for each other, even when Jordan’s secret became too much for him to bear. I was hoping through the entire story that Jordan and Courtney would work out their issues because it felt that they were totally meant to be together. This story and the characters had a lot more depth than I expected from what I thought was a simple romance story. The complications to Jordan and Courtney’s relationship added some humor and well as meaning to the novel. Overall, Two-Way Street was very enjoyable to read and much more than just a romance novel.

I recommend this book to all teen girls, but other readers may also enjoy it. I truly did love Two-Way Street and may read a couple of Lauren Barnholdt’s other novels.

Rating: 4.75

Review copy from personal collection