Rashika, The Book Owl

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

It’s so hard to describe this book because, while it isn’t particularly special and will probably not blow your mind away, it’s also a fantastic read and something that combines youthfulness, young love and the difficulties one faces when you have to grow up, and it is done in such a fresh manner. There is something great when a book manages to merge those elements together--and I Want it That Way is that kind of great.

The New Adult age group has become known for tons of sex and plenty of bad points, such as not having enough character development. A lot of the NA books coming out lately are starting to change how we see these kinds of books and are starting to really explore the potential this demographic holds. I Want it That Way is one of those books. It’s why I ended up adoring this book in spite of the handful of problems I had.

For starters, the characters are fantastic. Both the main and secondary characters (Lauren aside) are well developed, are easy to like and have depth to them.They all have their own sets of problems, yet they aren’t really a depressing bunch. Even Ty, which is surprising considering what he’s been through. He may come off as somewhat bitter in the beginning, but it’s more of a "once bitten, twice shy" kind of thing. He doesn't mope around and whine about how life isn’t fair.

Nadia was such a likeable female lead and was SO relatable. I loved how in spite of all the heartbreak that was in it for her, she never really gave up on Ty. Even when they had their ups and downs, she wasn’t tempted to go run and jump the first guy she came across. She handled a lot of the situations she found herself in like an adult and was mature, but at the same time, she also acted like her age. What I loved more about her, though, was how she was around Sam (Ty’s kid) and her friends.  She is the kind of friend anyone would want and is just all-around likeable. What really sold me on her was, when after hearing Ty’s story, she didn’t take his side. She didn’t take any side, for that matter. She neither condoned nor condemned his actions and just understood him instead. A character who doesn’t just butt into everyone’s business and just lets people talk, just LISTENS and offers comfort (instead of lies) is bound to be a good character.

Ty was just swoon-worthy and he also complemented Nadia perfectly. He needed someone who could help him get outside the solitary circle he had created for himself--someone who would push him to do things--and in that manner, they worked well together. That aside, what really made Ty endearing was how much he loved his son. He never saw him as a burden or someone that stopped him from living more. There were obviously things he missed from "before", but at the same time, he never really blamed his son. He was also a sweetheart and definitely not a jerk. He was always straight with Nadia about how far they could take things and never really tried to lead her on. He cared enough about her to know that at that point in life she might not be ready to give everything up and he knew that being with him wouldn’t just be about him because he also had Sam to think of.

Their romance did have the insta-love vibes, and while that should have disturbed me me, I wasn’t all that bothered since the two complemented each other. Their relationship wasn’t purely sexual and there was so much going on. The two took their time to actually talk to one another. They talked about their favorite things, dreams and aspirations, etc. Plus, there is the fact that we, as readers, weren’t privy to all their interactions. In the end, they made a good couple and were very easy to ship--isn’t that all that matters?

What stopped me from absolutely loving this book was Lauren, and then the Lauren-and-Max drama. I felt like the whole issue between the two was unnecessary, not to mention painful to read about! It would be a great build-up for the third book and would probably add to Max’s tortured-ness but… is it really Lauren’s fault that she didn’t fall head over heels for him (even though I happen to think he is fabulous)? I just feel like, in Max’s book, Lauren might be seen in a negative light for "breaking his heart", and I don't like that. All that aside, I wasn’t even a huge fan of Lauren in the first place. I absolutely hate it when people hide secrets from their best friends. The fact that Lauren spent such a huge chunk of time hiding stuff from Nadia--and ended up only telling her when necessary--didn’t really make me like her. They're supposed to be best friends--she shouldn’t be scared to tell her things, no matter how Nadia might respond! What are you doing, calling yourself her best friend when you cannot even do that?!?!

With all that said, this really is a story worth reading. I might have had some problems with the book, but I was thoroughly invested in it and wasn’t let down in the least. It may not have blown my mind but not all novels are meant to. Sometimes, for a novel to be something we can relate to, it doesn’t have to be totally amazing. It just needs to be down to Earth. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good NA novel to read.

FUN FACT: The first song I listened to after finishing the book was NOT in fact I Want it That Way by Backstreet Boys... it was Bye Bye Bye by 'N Sync.