Book Review

One Way or Another

December 8, 2020 /

This Post is Spoiler Free!

So… I don’t usually like YA Contemporaries. Great way to start out a review, right? You might be asking yourself why I even bother reading them if I don’t usually like them, and I have two answers for that question:

1. I appreciate any piece of writing as an opportunity to learn about the craft, and even if I don’t like the genre, there are bits of it I can incorporate into my own writing. 

2. Sometimes I find a book I genuinely like. So far, the list consists solely of We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, and now One Way or Another by Kara McDowell. I really haven’t read many YA Contemporaries, mainly because I don’t usually like them, so as I read more, I do hope this list grows!

Anywho! Let’s talk about One Way or Another, eh? Why did it make my list of YA Contemporaries that I truly enjoyed? For starters, I actually liked the main character. My biggest YA Contemporary gripe is usually that the female MCs are unrealistically naive and can tend to be annoying. But, Paige wasn’t. I mean, she was a little naive, but it felt honest and real. And she wasn’t annoying—far from it, actually. I found her to be relatable and witty.

Another thing on Paige. She had an anxiety disorder, and it was, in my opinion, written really well. I think the part that I liked most is that, when she got with the love interest, her anxiety wasn’t miraculously cured. Right? How wild! Instead, Paige ended up going to a professional for her disorder, and that’s what helped. I liked that. A lot. It definitely aided in her character development.

The plot itself was pretty fun. It was very Sliding Doors-esque. It followed two plotlines—one where Paige spends her Christmas in the destination of her dreams, and one where Paige spends her Christmas with her best friend/crush. The chapters alternated between the two realities, and honestly it was really well done. The plot and character development flowed smoothly. There were a lot of slightly cheesy cliffhangers, though, but I found with the chapter structure, I actually enjoyed them!

I think I’ll end this right here… I stayed up too late to finish the book, and even later to write this review (aka I’m tired), and this feels like a decent stopping point. I am pretty sure I said everything I want to say, so I’ll sign off with this: One Way or Another was a very fun read, and I’ll probably read it again at some point. 

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? If not, what is your favorite YA Contemporary? Or, if you don’t read the genre, what is your favorite lighthearted book?

One Way or Another by Kara McDowell

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My Next Read:

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

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