The covers for this series really drew me in. I originally liked the simplicity of it and now–having read it–I can appreciate the symbolism.

So, this is the three part story (taking place over three summers) of Melody and Duncan. They have been friends forever and planned on going to the same college, but Duncan’s father announces a move and, due to finances, Duncan will have to move as well. This throws their friendship for a loop as Melody realizes she might loose him and considers admitting her feelings for him as Duncan begins to realize just how much she means to him.

I like the two main characters. Melody was spunky, but logical and had some relatable self confidence problems. Duncan was a popular, confident guy who went through a lot of things that taught him the world didn’t exactly revolve around him. They were both wonderfully complex and I really believed in their emotions. In the last book they both face bad habits and admit to needing to make some changes. I like how they brought out the best in each other and were willing to help each face and overcome the vices they had fallen into.

There were a couple of characters I thought could have been left out of the book entirely, namely Duncan’s Aunt and Uncle. They didn’t really add to the story, and I felt the whole scene at their house was unnecessary and slowed the pacing of the first book (which was far longer than the other two).

Book two felt a little rushed to me and the character’s jumped to a lot of conclusions and false assumptions. I like that they were able to easily forgive each other, but didn’t like Melody’s reaction and haste to make another connection–it seemed like she dated only to spite Duncan. There were also more typos in this book.

The third book had some really great points and gave me the resolution I wanted, but it didn’t feel quite genuine. I didn’t think Duncan would have waited to fix his mistake and wanted to see the ending play out where it had all started, back at the lake…maybe at the drive-in, but not in a whole new location I didn’t connect to, leaving us with lots of unanswered questions about how this would all work out. Most of all, I did not like the intimacy in the third book. There was a sex scene that was a sort of a fade to black scene…but only sort of. As a YA, I didn’t expect the descriptions to go as far as they did and, really, if the author had only altered about two lines and kept the dialogue, it would have been cleaner with the sex fully implied while not described.

I would definitely give this author another try. I like her characters and the depth she gave them. I think another round of edits and more carefully done characterizations and plotting could have made this an awesome series. Check it out if you want a read that’s light, but not too light. Happy reading, my friends!