How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler

How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler
Release Date: April 23, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 309
Series: n/a
Review Source: finished copy for review from Raincoast Books

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
There are a few things Grace Anderson knows for sure. One is that nothing will ever come between her and her best friend, Kya Kessler. They have a pact. Buds Before Studs. Sisters Before Misters. But in the summer before senior year, life throws out challenges they never expected. And suddenly the person who's always been there starts to need the favor returned. Grace and Kya are forced to question how much a best friend can forgive. And the answer is not what they expected.

My Thoughts:
‘How I Lost You’ may be my favourite book of Janet Gurtler’s yet, and if you’ve read my past reviews for her books (If I Tell, I'm Not Her, Who I Kissed) you know that I enjoy them a great deal. One of my favourite parts of this book was something that you would never guess from the cover or the blurb, and that is the fact that Grace is a kickass paintball player. Paintball is a huge part of who Grace is, to the degree that her biggest dream is to be a part of an all-female college team, and she may even want to go pro. I loved learning about the sport and seeing how passionate Grace was about it.

Of course this book mostly focuses on the friendship element, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a very cute boy who shows up in Grace’s life. Levi is just adorable, there’s no other way to describe him. He’s attentive and polite, a little shy. He’s a NICE BOY and I totally dug how well he treated Grace.

As mentioned, this book primarily focuses on friendship. I feel like everyone has probably had a friendship implode at one point or another, so it’s a very relatable story. It was actually scary how relatable I found it, and it was hard to read at certain points because of that fact. I basically felt all mama-bear protective over Grace, because she is such a great girl. She’s a fabulous friend, but she takes that loyalty to the point of being walked all over. Kya is a damaged girl who I definitely felt for, but that feeling gradually faded away as Kya became more and more out of control, ruining things for Grace and taking advantage of their friendship. This relationship was just toxic for Grace, and as the book continued I kept waiting for that moment when Grace would finally stand up for herself.

As you can tell, I absolutely loved Grace and I was cheering for her. Janet Gurtler writes such amazing contemps with family, friends, and romance all intertwined in the perfect way. ‘How I Lost You’ was a very intense friendship story that I think most everyone can relate to in one way or another. I enjoyed this book tremendously and I am eagerly anticipating Janet’s next release.

The Cover:
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Rating:
[Strong 4/5]

Find How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.