Chasing Spring Review

Distiller: Hikari Loftus
3.5/5 Stars




Chasing Spring
by R.S. Grey
February 1, 2016
300 pages

Lilah isn’t interested in moving back to Blackwater Texas. After the death of her mother, Lilah split town for Austin. But when her Aunt (who she is living with) takes an overseas job, Lilah must head back home to all the unpleasant gossip and whispers about her family.

But the most unpleasant thing of all is the fact that her once best friend, Chase, is moving in across the hall. With his father in a downward alcoholic spiral, he isn’t safe at home. And since Lilah and Chase were practically raised together, him coming to their home just makes sense.

But Lilah and Chase aren’t best friends anymore. Not after everything that has happened in their lives. Lilah just wants to remain lost and alone. Too bad for her, Chase is going to do everything in his power to change her mind.

This book reminded me a little bit of how I feel about John Green’s books. I’m not necessarily a big fan of his stories, per se, but I love his quotes and I think the messages in his books are powerful and important. I felt this way about Chasing Spring.

This is a personal preference thing for me. Lilah and I didn’t quite get along, and I think that colored a lot of this story for me. I never quite got around to understanding her and her decisions that fueled much of this story.

I thought a few story elements, like Lilah’s obsession with secrets, didn’t really add anything to the story, and when those parts popped up, it felt a bit random. There were a few story lines going on, and I never felt like they came together very well. 

This story bounced between Lilah's present and her mother's past. I was very interested in her mother's past. It was sad and desperate and really gripping to read, but I never could get on track with Lilah's personality. (again, a personal preference thing.)

That being said, there were a lot of places in this story that just rang TRUE. Lots of feelings and situations about love, friendship, family, and addiction that broke my heart and made me want to be a better person. Everyone has a story. Most, if not all people, have secrets. But almost no one knows the whole truth behind certain situations and what makes a person do some of the things they do.

The final pages of this book spelled out a message that really impacted me and drew on everything that had happened in the book to make it clear. So while there were places in this story that just weren’t really working for me, the way it was written was the perfect vehicle to an important message that ended this book in a powerful, healing way.