So………we all know that Chasing Spring was not your typical R. S. Grey. This sweet YA story was was full of emotional struggle and the push and pull of a child trying to let go of the past, while trying to hold on to it and discover who she is meant to be. If that wasn’t a mouth full!!
I am not going to get too much into the nitty gritty of the story line, because, honestly, it needs to be experienced. Lilah and Chase are childhood friends whose web of connection is so convoluted, you might need to make a map(or maybe, I am just slow. bahaha) Their mothers were bffs, and the book gives a chronological account of the moms friendship, and the Chase and Lilah’s friendship as well.
What I wasnt crazy about……..it took me a little while to get into it. I think, honestly, the pace felt a little blah to me. The story felt a little dated, but it could just be me, and my expectations. I
However, what I did LOVE, was the writing. I have followed this author for a while, and there is a real sense of maturity and constraint in this novel. That might not sound sexy enough for some of you, but for me, the writing was delicious perfection. “Through some alchemy, he’d found a way to turn his hate, blame, anger, and sadness into forgiveness”……”Chase had shown me how to forgive the living, but I couldn’t bring myself to absolve the dead.”
“I gardened because I was obsessed with the notion of finding beauty in the dirt. Dirt is chaos, gritty, full of bugs and decay, but from the dirt comes immense beauty”
Although this book is slow to simmer, it is book about forgiveness, acceptance, and willingness to let go of the negative things of the past, in order to push through and enjoy the positive things in the present.
