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The Geography of You and Me Book Cover The Geography of You and Me
Jennifer E. Smith
Young Adult, Romance
Poppy
April 15, 2014
Hardcover
352
Pinoy Book Tours

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

 

About the Author:

Jennifer E. Smith is the author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, The Storm Makers, You Are Here, and The Comeback Season. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and currently works as an editor in New York City. Her writing has been translated into 28 languages.

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This review is a part of a Book Tour organized by Pinoy Book Tours.

 

Prior to reading The Geography of You and Me, I had never read any book written by its author, Jennifer E. Smith. But the fact that there were a lot of good reviews written about her book, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, I was really excited to read this one.

 

The story was told in the point-of-view of both Owen and Lucy, alternately. I always think that makes a story interesting because it enables the reader to understand each character better. For me, reading Owen and Lucy’s experiences from their own perspectives made it easier for me to relate to the characters.

 

Owen and Lucy are definitely easy to relate to. They’re both awkward teens, who have never fallen in love before and are both going through tough changes in their respective lives. How they met and got stuck in an elevator and how they eventually fell in love which each other is such a sweet story that appeals to the youth (and romantic) in all of us.

 

Speaking of romance, this book is definitely full of it but not in a sickeningly sweet way. The author was really good in storytelling and creating conversations between the characters that makes readers swoon, such as “Wish you were here” written on postcards, “Somewhere” and “Everywhere”.

 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Sometimes it seemed as if his whole life was an exercise in waiting; not waiting to leave, exactly, but simply waiting to go. He felt like one of those fish that had the capacity to grow in unimaginable ways if only the tank were big enough. But his tank had always been small, and as much as he loved his home- as much as he loved his family- he’d always felt himself bumping up against the edges of his own life.”

 

“There was no point in waiting for someone who hadn’t asked, and there was no point in wishing for something that would never happen.”

 

“They just stood there, regarding each other silently, the room suddenly as quiet as the elevator had been, as comfortable as the kitchen floor, as remote as the roof. Because that’s what happened when you were with someone like that: the world shrank to just the right size. It molded itself to fit only the two of you, and nothing more.”

 

The love story between Owen and Lucy is also realistic in the sense that it shows us the challenges and struggles that people go through with long distance relationships. They went through the doubts, the heartaches and the goodbyes. But it also shows us that no matter how many other people you meet and no matter where you are in the world, home is really where your heart is. It also gives us hope in the thought that love can still survive no matter the distance.

 

What I find extremely frustrating about the story though is Owen’s reluctance to make good use of the Internet and social media in order to find and keep in touch with Lucy while they were apart. I understand that there really are some people like him who aren’t really big fans of the Internet. But, it could have made their long distance relationship easier to manage. He opted to send snail mail, specifically postcards, instead. I mean, if he really wanted to connect with her then he should have forced himself to go online! But, I also understand that this part of the story is also what makes it romantic. So, I let that pass. Like what Owen said in the book, it is what it is.

 

Overall, I really LOVED the story and it was so hard for me to put it down. Honestly, it only took me 5 hours to read. Young adult novel fans will really like it.


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27 Comments

  1. Hi, Janice! I’m a sucker for romance novels and lately, I’ve been devouring young adult romance books. I’ll try this one 🙂
    Kyong recently posted…Learning Made Fun with Preschool Kids’ Games and Puzzles AppMy Profile

    1. Great, Kyong! 🙂 You’ll love it. I’ll be reviewing more young adult novels soon so do come back here and check them out. Thanks!
      Janice Lim recently posted…Get an Amazing Discount on Shake ‘n Go with Lazada and WeChatMy Profile

  2. Got stuck in the elevator then fell in love! I think it triggers the romantic in all of us! 🙂
    Chinky recently posted…Our January, February and March Guests for Thankful Thursdays!My Profile

    1. That’s so true, Chinky. 🙂
      Janice Lim recently posted…Intimate Care with Priva Intimate WashMy Profile

  3. Will definitely look for a copy of this book. Looks like this is a great read,

    1. It really is a great read, Leira. 🙂
      Janice Lim recently posted…Intimate Care with Priva Intimate WashMy Profile

  4. First of all, I’d like to say that I love your template! It’s soooo cute! ^^ And thanks for sharing your experience about this book. I love reading and I’ll try this one. Love the selected quotations you’ve featured here as well. ^^
    Prince recently posted…National Seminar-Workshop on Campus JournalismMy Profile

    1. Thanks, Prince. I like my template too. Took me a while to get it looking like this. 🙂 There are a lot more nice quotes in the book. Hope you’ll get to read it. 🙂
      Janice Lim recently posted…Intimate Care with Priva Intimate WashMy Profile

  5. seems like a good book to read this vacation
    aprilandthecity.com recently posted…Pre-Travel To-Do’sMy Profile

    1. I agree. If you’re looking for a feel-good book to read while on vacation, this will really be a good choice. 🙂
      Janice Lim recently posted…Intimate Care with Priva Intimate WashMy Profile

  6. I love to read romantic books,will surely try to give it some time.
    Michelle recently posted…Overcome Personal Finance ProblemsMy Profile

    1. I love romance books too, Michelle. You’ll find a lot of contemporary romance reviews here so hope you’ll come back and visit again soon. 🙂
      Janice Lim recently posted…Intimate Care with Priva Intimate WashMy Profile

  7. woah!! 5 hours to finish the whole book? hey you, bookworm, why so awesome?? hehe anyway I really admire people who loves reading books. They appeal to me as smart person. I too read books but not really often. I just read occasionally if the book is really popular and i get intrigued by it. hehe This book by the way sounds interesting, I might consider reading it.

    1. It didn’t take me long to finish the book, Shine, because I really loved it. 🙂 Do consider reading it. 🙂 Let me know what you think after. Thanks!
      Janice Lim recently posted…Intimate Care with Priva Intimate WashMy Profile

  8. Hey Janice! The book sounds amazing. I’m actually looking for good books for read while I’m still on my summer vacation. That second quote you posted from the book really is something to think about. LOL.
    Ditas recently posted…New Life, New Beginning, New Wardrobe?My Profile

  9. It’s been awhile since I read books – this seems a nice one.
    Aisha Kristine Chong recently posted…Go Glow!My Profile

  10. The storyline looks really interesting on how they overcome the long distance and even without the use of long distance.
    Franc Ramon recently posted…The Zombie Journals: Unmasking the Werewolf ZombieMy Profile

  11. This looks like a really interesting book

  12. I love the fact that the story is told from both parties, it gives a more vivid story for the reader, sounds like an interesting read. 🙂
    Marie recently posted…Pageant Diaries| Mrs. Philippines – Globe 2014: Empowering Session and OrientationMy Profile

  13. oohhh I want to read this. I want to read this. I don’t care if he refuses to use the internet, it makes everything all the more romantic and it makes him all more intriguing.
    Mitch Ryan recently posted…Are you concerned that your child is a digital addict?My Profile

  14. WOW! I can’t rememeber the last time I read a romance novel. This looks like a great one. Going through your post gave me goosebumps..LOL!
    Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen recently posted…Trying out SPAM Tocino (Limited Edition)My Profile

  15. This seems an interesting book. Another book that I love very much because it’s all on postcards is the The Griffin and Sabine Trilogy by Nick Bantock.
    Que Sullano – Gavan recently posted…Tips for Teaching ABCs to ToddlersMy Profile

  16. waah it’s been a while since I last read a romance novel.. will try to look for this book nga 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
    Mommy Pehpot recently posted…Holy Week 2014 Mall SchedulesMy Profile

  17. I miss burying my nose in a book. I wonder how you do all these, blog and work at home and read and everything in between. You’re a superwoman. I bet my bookworm teenage sister will love this
    Camille Aguila recently posted…Pixel and Gretel Inc., a Fairy Tale Fueled by PassionMy Profile

  18. This reminds me of the Before Sunrise series 🙂

  19. The joy and pain is all part of a great first love . don’t we just love romantic stories?
    thanks for sharing the wonderful quotes!

  20. I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since you told me about it! 🙂
    Patty | MrsC recently posted…Westgate Easter EGGventureMy Profile

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