2018 Beyond the Classics discussion

The definition of a friend is as follows, “a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection”. A best friend is defined as “a person's closest friend”. These definitions are right from google, but we all know that “friendship” gets a little messier than just those black and white definitions. This book is about two friends who try to navigate the messiness of friendship and the definitions that define it. August and Ethan have been best friends since the day they met. As the years go on their friendship continues to grow over time. Years of dinners, birthday parties holidays, and more. August is very into acting while Ethan is a very good magician. After an unexplainable magic trick preformed by Ethan during a car crash, August realizes her feelings for Ethan. That maybe she wants to be more than “just friends”. The long history of their friendship makes it hard to admit stronger feelings. Fear of rejection or of ruining a relationship. Things get complicated when August is offered a job half way around the world in America, while she currently lives in England. Her bursting fame and money momentarily distract her from he feelings for Ethan until he shows up. HIs magic career takes off and he is offered a show as well. With fame, money, and other things in the way it seems impossible for them to ever be together. The fact that the tittle of this book already makes it so relatable helps to draw in readers. Having two teenage characters draws in a younger audience for this book, but it is still a great read for all ages. It is interesting to read about a love a person cant have. In this book the reader really roots for the characters, creating a connection to the book. I personally was not a very big fan of this book because of the predictable plot that the two best friends gain feelings and fall in love, living happily ever after together. The flow of the story was choppy at times, and the events that happened were a little far-fetched, for happening to two people in such a short amount of time, which made the story seem immature, making it more like a dream than a story. On a good note, it is a light and easy read if you are looking for that kind of book. It had many cute parts and would be perfect for the hopeless romantic reader. Overall I would only recommend this book to a certain group of readers. I myself would not read it again.