Book Review- When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

I have a great YA romance to review today. It is When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle, a Simon Pulse novel.

The Story- Rosaline and Rob have been best friends for years, and finally, he kisses her. It is everything Rosaline thought it would be and more. Now her senior year is looking amazing and she and Rob have plans to head off to Stanford together.

Then Rosaline’s cousin Juliet moves back to town, and takes Rob as her own. Rosaline is devastated, and her sneaky, crazy cousin is set on revenge for a wrong Rosaline knows nothing about.

Trying to keep her head above water, Rosaline throws herself into friends and school, especially her AP Bio partner and social outcast Len. But, when Rosaline hears tells of a hidden family secret, things blow up, consuming her, Juliet and Rob.

My Thoughts- Holy Moly- loved it. This book brought out a huge emotional response from me, and that is always something I look for when reviewing. The story is a sideline plot of the Romeo and Juliet play, and I was initially worried it would be cliché, but I was wrong. As you delve into Rosaline’s life you are pulled into her emotional struggles. By the end of the story you are so caught up in her character that you feel each blow personally.

The author spends the first 100 pages setting up Rob and Rosaline, so when Juliet moves to town, the reader can’t believe what happens. I felt like it was invasion of the body snatchers. Rob’s character does a complete 180, and by the end of the book I’m wondering what in the world happened. But, because the story is told from Rosaline’s POV, we don’t get to see Rob’s inner emotional turmoil, just his break down. Wow, the story stayed in my mind long after I put it down. Also, love the cover. Great job!