Review By Kayleigh

If you want to pull your heart out of your chest and root for both young love and the power of friendship then you will love the emotional Meet Me in The Middle.

Favourite Quote:

The photo is dark. I squint at the screen, trying to make it out. It looks like an empty room. Light wooden floors. Barren white walls. The camera’s angled toward the floor, showing the tips of his black-and-white Chicks. There’s a flimsy white table and something on top of it too. I zoom in. It’s a painting canvas. Beside it are bottles of unopened paint, two or three paintbrushes. The caption is one word: home. I look at the tagged location. Toronto.

He’s back.

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Eden had her best friend Katie—she didn’t need anyone else. But then there was Truman.

Katie’s older brother, the artist. The recluse. The boy with the innocent smile and the dangerous eyes.

Eden had never really known Truman—not until the night of Katie’s accident. That was the night they’d finally let each other into their orbits—only to have the sky come crashing down on them.

With Katie in the hospital and Truman fleeing from his grief without a word, Eden is left alone to grapple with her own pain. But when Truman returns to the city, can Eden let him back into her life knowing that their first kiss is what tore their world apart?

This book is captivating and heart breaking. We meet Truman and Eden, and through alternating chapters we learn about the before and the now. Eden is 17 when her best friend is in a car accident while Eden kisses Truman, Katie’s brother. And life is never the same. How do teens at the start of their life deal with soul crushing grief and still find a reason to live? Eden and Truman are fragile and flawed young humans with their lives just on the cusp of beginning. This is a story of grief, of love and of family. It’s best read with a box of kleenex by your side.

I liked Eden and Truman and liked getting to see Katie through their eyes. Their relationship is a slow burn and the story moves slowly. Truman and Eden haven’t seen each other for five months after Truman flees Ontario (yay for a Canadian book) after his sister’s accident. An accident that happened because he and Eden were distracted. When he returns, he and Eden crash into each other. They have to deal with a lot of unresolved angst, guilt and deeply layered emotions. The relationship that emerges in this new world is a slow blossom of feeling, wants and needs all drowning in a layer of sticky guilt. Surrounding Truman and Eden is a strong cast of friends and family who are supporting them in the varied ways you support someone going through a tough time. And, as if floating above them all, is Katie.

The writing in this book is beautiful. Alex Light is a master in painting scenes filled with emotions and yearnings. This isn’t a typical HEA romance, although the ending feels really believable for an 18 and 19 year old who have just gone through an incredibly traumatic experience. I found the ending satisfying and poignant. I cannot wait to read more from Alex.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.