I am a HUGE Eric Smith fan. Like I think I’ve read all of his books and I will continue to do so. So when I was invited to be on this blog tour for Smith’s latest, You Can Go Your Own Way I knew I had to accept! This book soothed my heart in a way I didn’t even know I needed! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Adam Stillwater is in over his head. At least, that’s what his best friend would say. And his mom. And the guy who runs the hardware store down the street. But this pinball arcade is the only piece of his dad that Adam has left, and he’s determined to protect it from Philadelphia’s newest tech mogul, who wants to turn it into another one of his cold, lifeless gaming cafés.
Whitney Mitchell doesn’t know how she got here. Her parents split up. She lost all her friends. Her boyfriend dumped her. And now she’s spending her senior year running social media for her dad’s chain of super successful gaming cafés—which mostly consists of trading insults with that decrepit old pinball arcade across town.
But when a huge snowstorm hits, Adam and Whitney suddenly find themselves trapped inside the arcade. Cut off from their families, their worlds, and their responsibilities, the tension between them seems to melt away, leaving something else in its place. But what happens when the storm stops?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
You Can Go Your Own Way will move your heart. It’s a story about second chance romance meets childhood crushes. That would be enough alone to enchant me. But Smith tells a story about grief and holding on to the past and people. On paper Whitney and Adam might seem like opposites – one wearing obscure band shirts in a retro arcade and the other the social media manager for an esports cafe – but they have history.
In You Can Go Your Own Way, Adam and Whitney have to wonder just exactly who they are. In the midst of a storm, they are forced not only to confront their past, but to also examine who they have become. To figure out who will choose us, who will have our back, and who we need to let go of to move on. The characters truly stand out in You Can Go Your Own Way. That relatable tension with people who see you, even when you want to hide.
The unspoken weight of words which comes out in banter. In being able to see things in someone they can’t even see yet. You Can Go Your Own Way balances moments of hilarity which had me laughing out loud with scenes of grief and heartbreak which brought tears to my eyes. It’s an emotional story about love and loss. Of knowing we can’t hold on to everything and sometimes we have to let go.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Your-Own-Way/dp/1335405682
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-can-go-your-own-way-eric-smith/1138256191
Books a Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781335405685?AID=10747236&PID=7651142&cjevent=c39c9d3b5dee11eb83ba01ab0a240614
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335405685
BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/you-can-go-your-own-way/9781335405685
AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/you-can-go-your-own-way/id1540270939 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Eric_Smith_You_Can_Go_Your_Own_Way?id=9soIEAAAQBAJ
About the Author
ERIC SMITH is an author and literary agent from Elizabeth, New Jersey. When he isn’t working on other people’s books, sometimes he tries to write his own. He enjoys pop punk, video games, and crying during every movie. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and best friend, Nena, and their son, Langston. WWW.ERICSMITHROCKS.COM
Author website: https://www.ericsmithrocks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericsmithrocks
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ericsmithrocks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55920774-you-can-go-your-own-way
I haven’t read this author, but this book and one other of his in the past are on my TBR. This one sounds especially good! Great review!
I think my favorite is still Don’t Read the Comments – because internet trolls – but this one was so sweet