Bryan Bliss

Meet Me Here

In a single night—graduation night—Thomas has to decide: do what everyone has always expected of him, or forge an entirely new path? Bryan Bliss’s absorbing examination of one boy struggling with expectations and realities will appeal to readers of Sara Zarr and Chris Crutcher. Thomas is supposed to leave for the Army in the morning. His father was Army. His brother, Jake, is Army—is a hero, even, with the medals to prove it. Everyone expects Thomas to follow in that fine tradition. But Jake came back from overseas a completely different person, and that has shaken Thomas’s certainty about his own future. And so when his long-estranged friend Mallory suggests one last night of adventure, Thomas takes her up on the distraction. Over the course of this single night, Thomas will lose, find, resolve, doubt, drive, explore, and leap off a bridge. He’ll also face the truth of his brother’s post-traumatic stress disorder and of his own courage. In Bryan Bliss’s deft hands, graduation night becomes a night to find yourself, to find each other, to find a path, and to know that you always have a place—and people—to come back to.

Siya S

★★★★★ 5 AMERICAN-GRAFFITI-WORTHY STARS !!! 




  
    "I want to believe that we make our own plans. I want to believe that we are the ones in control of our lives."
  


OMG I was just telling everyone how I might be too old for YA books already since I couldn't connect or relate to my last few books at all. And then THIS. THIS BOOK HAPPENED (and now I love YA again lol).

For those who couldn't make sense of what I was trying to say; American Graffiti (directed by the epitome of genius Mr.George Lucas) is probably one of the best coming-of-age movies ever existed (only second to something like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off). And Oh Boy, does this book remind me of that movie...with a twist, of course. 


  Most of them are going to college; none of their parents want them anywhere near the army, even if the chance of active duty is remote. They don’t want heroes, just happiness.


It’s the last day of youth. For the senior kids of Hickory, North Carolina, the graduation parties were held, the plans were set, and tomorrow’s where the future began. But Thomas Bennett had a plan of his own, and he was more scared and confused than ever. Following it meant betraying the whole town and disappointing his family. But anything could happen in one night, and with a help from his friends, old and new, tonight’s going to be the kind of night where everything changed. 

Music: Explosions In The Sky  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziw4y...



I’m looking for a way to do this book justice. On the surface, there’s nothing relatable between me and this book at all. I’m a city girl my whole life, so I have no idea what it’s like growing up among friends in a place where everyone knows my name. Hell, I’m not even American. I have not the slightest clue about life in North Carolina. I have no in-depth experience on military culture. Driving a truck, shotgun-shooting beer cans and taking trips to the waffle house in the dead of the night sounds like a joke to my ears. 

But somehow I get it. I get Thomas and his struggle. I get Mallory and her decision. I get Jake and his PTSD ghosts. I just get it. My heart ached. I wanted to weep for some things I couldn’t define. 

All my life I work hard for this one thing; to get out of the city and never ever look back. It doesn't mean I hate my hometown. It is and always will be part of my existence, one of the tiny little things that define who I am. But I guess the feeling of wanting to break free is universal. Some people are just destined to be lost witg a hope to find the place they truly belong, simple as that. 


  As I watch them walk away, I’m struck by how much I’m going to miss Hickory no matter where I end up, a thought that until now hasn’t really materialized for me. This town, these people are like DNA. Pulsing in my veins, making my body work. It’s why I’m so worried about leaving, about letting them down. It’s like denying a part of my flesh.


As we accompanied Thomas through his last day in town, we’d get a glimpse into his life prior this very day; his friends, his family, his fears. *FRIENDSHIP-GAME-IS-ON-POINT ALERT* The friendship among characters would definitely warm your heart. Mallory was probably a bit one-dimensional, a manic pixie dream girl to ease Thomas’s indecisiveness toward his looming future (the next day, to be exact). Wayne and Sinclaire were also an amazing addition to the story. They reminded me of my childhood friends whom I lost contact with from years ago. 


  “I think courage is somewhere between doing what you want to do and what you need to do,” he says. “And that’s on you, man.”


This book will warm your heart by reminding you of the old days, when you were young and hopeless, full of dreams and heartbreaks. The time when you felt like you’d conquer the world – if you’re first allowed to overstay pass the curfew, of course. Also it brought you an insight on American military family and how war could affect one’s life beyond the battlefield. A fast-paced, easy read that would stay with you for quite some time. It’s totally worth it. 


Find out more at:
https://thebleedingeyes.wordpress.com

Meet Me Here

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