R. S. Grey

I thought I'd left Blackwater, Texas behind for good. I didn't belong in the small town, but my dad wouldn't listen. He dragged me back home in his beat-up truck and dropped a bomb along the way: Chase Matthews was moving in with us. He was the golden boy of my high school, my former best friend, and the last person I wanted sleeping across the hall. His presence was too great a reminder of the ghosts I was trying to forget.I didn't ask for a hero. I don't want to be saved.To me, Lilah Calloway meant late nights sneakin' out, moonlit hair, and sparklers in July. She was my best friend until the day she left and I'd assumed Blackwater had seen the last of her. Then, like a tempest, she rolled back into town for the final half of senior year. The chopped hair and dark devil-may-care attitude warned most people away, but I knew if I fought hard enough, I could find the lost girl.I didn't want to be her hero. Some girls don't need to be saved.

Chasing Spring

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights ReviewsFirst book I read by R.S. Grey and can I just say it was a success! I've heard her books are always filled with humor but when I read the blurb for this one, I knew it was going to be filled with feels and it was! It was dark, dealing with drug and alcohol abuse plus dealing with the aftermath of a family member's choices.

Lilah's mom and Chase's mom were childhood friends, counting on one another all the time, having a tight friendship and they both were pregnant around the same time. Lilah and Chase were born and since their mothers were always together, Lilah and Chase became best friends growing up. But tragedy stroke and it put a stretch in Lilah's and Chase's friendship, to the point where Lilah moves out-of-town with her aunt. Now, Lilah is back and she doesn't want anything to do with Chase but how can you avoid someone when he lives across the hall from your room?

Lilah was a bit of a complex character that I ultimately loved. She was strong on the outside but on the inside, she was vulnerable. She didn't like confrontation or talking about the past. She didn't want to let anyone else in her life but Chase won't give up on having his best friend back. He helps her with the flower bed that Lilah and her mom had started when Lilah was a kid, he's there to make her laugh and smile. He really was sweet with her and giving her time until he pushed it too far but the end result was not entirely cliché. Lilah and Chase talked about everything but Lilah needed space to clear her head. She didn't fall at Chase's feet. She simply took a mature decision, thought things through and later on did she make the ultimate decision.

I would say the blurb doesn't really show what this book is about. I had a feeling it would be on the heavy side but I didn't know to what extent it would be. This book is told in two first person's point of view for Lilah and Chase and one as a third person's point of view for Elaine, Lilah's mother. I was eager to read her story and I'm so glad it was included in the book because the story would have been lacking something. Reading about Elaine made me start to slowly understand the background of the story and why Lilah and Chase separated from one another. The story was very impacting. It was something I wasn't expecting at all.

R.S. Grey surprised me with her eloquent writing. From writing books with lots of humor, to focusing on something with depth and with impact shows how great of an author she is. I cannot wait to explore more of her writing by reading her other books. And I'm so glad she published this story and didn't give up on it (read the acknowldgements section and you'll know what I'm talking about so go buy the book ;) )

I received an eARC from the author for free in exchange for an honest review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews

Courtney ✿ @librarycutie

ARC provided by the author in favor of an honest review.


Lilah Calloway is obsessed with secrets, and when she has to go back home, she finds the perfect opportunity to find out everyone's secrets.

"I love secrets and i'm good at finding them. For the least two years, I've learned to collect secrets one by one because secrets are flames and no place deserves to burn more than my small town." - Prologue of Chasing Spring.

Before I start talking about the book, I want to talk about how Rachel's writing is always easy to read through, it flows perfectly and is worded just the right way. I was hooked from the prologue up until the last word, and still wishing there was more to the story. The ending was so beautiful, I can't even put it into words, but it was a great way to end begin a story.

Now, let's talk about the book.

I cried, a lot, while reading this book. I felt really sad when reading some parts of this book, and was always rooting for Lilah. There's a lot of darkness in Lilah's life, and she's haunted by her past. Lilah Calloway had to return to Blackwater, Texas for the last semester of her senior year. Coincidentally, her childhood best friend Chase Matthews is moving into her house with her dad because of his drunken father. They ended things roughly before she left to live with her Aunt in Austen, but it doesn't take long before Chase has broken through the wall of Lilah's life. Lila has a thing for secrets, she wants to know everyone's secrets, she finds them interesting and helps her realize that not everyone have perfect lives. Her life is shattered back to reality when the past is ripped open again, and she's forced to face the truth. Lila and Chase don't have it easy, she wasn't looking for an angel, and he wasn't looking to be her hero, but some things just happen.


  
    "Which little white pill makes a mother forget her dautgher?"
  


A lot of people have demons on the inside, refusing to let other people see, but some are just the opposite, showing only their demons while refusing to show people who they really are. This is a story about two teenagers trying to figure their life out, and trying to forgive and stop being angry at ghosts of the past. A story you don't want to miss.


  
    "We'd forever be moving in opposite directions- after all, he was the golden boy, and I was the lost girl."
  


Lilah and Chase go through a lot together, especially with their dark past and their families tie together that will forever be in their history. Lila refuses to get close to Chase, afraid of what will happen if she does, but Chase doesn't care, he's always cared for lilac and always will. In the last semester of their High School life, and life at Blackwater, they will decide if they're worth having a happy middle.

Rachel Grey, I salute you and your incredible mind for writing such a beautiful and dark story, I couldn't stop crying and smiling at the same time, and i'm glad you decided to publish Chasing Spring. I'm also thankful to have received an early copy, and that I got the chance to read Lilah and Chase's story.


  I recommend this book to any and everyone, It's officially my favorite book by Rachel and if I could give it 6 stars, then I would. Go online and buy it!

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Lilah is a bit of a mess. She’s back in Texas living with her father, the school’s baseball coach, while grieving the loss of her mother. She has quite a bit of guilt over the death of her mother, and she’s having trouble working through it. Chase Matthews, the golden boy, star baseball player, and Lilah’s former best friend, ends up moving in with her and her father, throwing her emotions into a spin. Lilah and Chase have a past… a past that involves their mothers and some very dark activity. Chase is eager for Lilah to work through it, to find the “old” Lilah again, but Lilah is lost and unwilling to accept the way things are.

I love when characters have a history. I also adore when that history is slowly revealed throughout the story. In this case, the story is told through both Lilah’s and Chase’s points of view. The back-and-forth of the chapters, along with a few older chapters from the past, kept this story moving quickly at a very fun pace. The darker elements were a bit hard to read at times. This story touches on a few dark topics, the largest one being drug use and addiction. Often a difficult topic to read about, I struggle with drug use in books. However, R.S. Grey was able to address it in a very realistic and intimate way that had my stomach in knots and tears filling my eyes. A very emotional read, which I wasn’t quite expecting.

The only complaint I really have is that I had trouble with the age of the characters. I went into this story thinking it was a New Adult title. I was surprised to see the main characters were in high school. I had trouble accepting their age, as I felt they acted and thought like twenty-somethings. I would have felt a stronger connection, I believe, if they were a bit older. Maybe 22 to 24 years old, as that’s how they acted to me. Not a big issue, just something that irked me a bit.

Speaking of the that… I’m a bit confused by the New Adult categorization with this one. I was under the impression it was a NA title as well, but the characters are in high school throughout the entire book. Maybe it’s because it’s a bit darker and the characters do turn age 18 toward the end? I’m not really sure… but since the characters are in high school, I would categorize it as YA. I’m not sure if this is correct, so I figured an explanation could help any potential readers.

My first R.S. Grey read was officially a success! I really enjoyed this, despite the tiny issue I had. Overall, a very strong story with broken characters that experience quite a bit of personal growth and development throughout their journey. A truly thought-provoking must-read!

(Thanks to R.S. Grey for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

I’m a big fan of R.S. Grey’s rom-coms, but I knew going into Chasing Spring it would be a little different from what the author normally writes. It’s a YA book, not new adult, and it’s much more serious that her usual fun and flirty books. I wish I could say I loved Chasing Spring as much as I loved her previous books, but the execution of the story just wasn’t up to par. I really enjoyed listening to the three narrators, but the story wasn’t cohesive enough for me to truly appreciate the narration. I do applaud the author for venturing out of her normal genre, and wouldn’t mind giving a try at another of her YAs.

Lilah Calloway and Chase Matthews used to be childhood best friends before tragedy tore them apart. They haven’t seen each other for years, but Lilah has finally come home for their senior year of high school, but she’s not the same girl she used to be. She’s dyed her hair black, turned a little emo and grunge… she’s a bit of a mess and not at all happy. Chase is his usual shining, star athlete self… except looks can be deceiving. Chase’s mother is dead and his father is an alcoholic – but Lilah’s father offers him a place to stay in his home. Once again, Chase and Lilah will be together again, but not as close friends anymore.

Here we have coming-of-age YA, as Lilah struggles to deal with her problems and Chase trying to help her while saving himself. The romance between them kind of went on the backburner, which is a shame because if the author had fleshed out the love between Lilah and Chase more, it would’ve been so sweet and heartwarming. But the main focus was on Lilah’s problems, especially with drug and alcohol abuse. It was a little tiring and boring as I listened to Lilah NOT deal with her problems even though she wanted to, and Chase trying and failing to help her because she didn’t want his help. I lacked a connection with the characters and story, which impacted how I felt as I listened to the audiobook.

Luckily, the narrators did a great job at voicing the main characters. I was a little confused at why there were three narrators instead of just two, but I eventually found out that besides Lilah and Chase, there is a third POV, Lilah’s mother Elaine, who is also central to the story. I found her story to be the most intriguing and I really wish we’d gotten more of her POV than we did.

Chasing Spring had potential, but the story just wasn’t executed very well. I loved the narration, but it wasn’t enough for me to enjoy the story like a wanted. I still love R.S. Grey and will read more of her NAs, but this one is not one of my favorites of hers!

Audible: http://amzn.to/1Uej8cB
Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1OruHL0
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1PvcxmA