Together We Caught Fire by Eva V. Gibson
Expected Publication Date: February 4th, 2020 by Simon & Schuster Canada – Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Format: e-ARC
Source: NetGalley

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Summary (from NetGalley): What happens when the boy you want most becomes the one person you can’t have?

Lane Jamison’s life is turned upside down the week before her senior year when her father introduces her to his new fiancée: mother of Grey McIntyre, Lane’s longtime secret crush. Now with Grey living in Lane’s house, there’s only a thin wall separating their rooms, making it harder and harder to deny their growing mutual attraction—an attraction made all the more forbidden by Grey’s long-term girlfriend Sadie Hall, who also happens to be Lane’s friend.

Torn between her feelings for Grey and her friendship with Sadie—not to mention her desire to keep the peace at home—Lane befriends Sadie’s older brother, Connor, the black sheep of the strict, evangelical Hall family. Connor, a metalworking artist who is all sharp edges, challenges Lane in ways no one else ever has. As the two become closer and start to open up about the traumas in their respective pasts, Lane begins to question her conviction that Connor is just a distraction.

Tensions come to a head after a tragic incident at a party, forcing Lane to untangle her feelings for both boys and face the truth of what—and who—she wants, in this gripping and stunningly romantic debut novel.

Review: Wow. This book was jam packed with a lot of hard hitting subjects. Secret crushes, religion, homelessness, endometriosis, trauma and mental illness.

The main character Lane has been in love with Grey ever since they were paired during a science project/experiment together. When her dad invites her to dinner with his new girlfriend and their son she learns that the son is none other than Grey. Within weeks of this meeting the parents are married and Grey moves in to the bedroom beside Lane. This is where the story unfolds.

Having to navigate through this new family dynamic, Lane starts to hang out with Grey and Sadie his girlfriend. In one of these outings she meets Sadie’s brother, Connor, who’s an artist that lives in the loft of an artist’s warehouse. The story takes you through how Lane’s traumatic past relating to her mother is suppressed, a love triangle ensues as she learns what love is, teenage relationships are questioned, different religions butt heads, and certain incidents trigger different emotions from each character.

This story at times felt unrealistic and a little older than it should with the way the characters were speaking to one another yet so realistic at the same time. I laughed out loud, cringed, and felt moved throughout.

I don’t want to give too much away of how the characters interact as I feel like that is part of the fun of diving into this novel. The characters at times can make you so mad and dislike them and at other times have you on their side.

This was a great first read by this author and I’d be interested in picking up books she puts out in the future.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

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