So, when Covid first started and when we thought things would go back to normal soon I took up the hobby of reading books. It was when the weather was warmer and online school was not actually online school. Sounds nerdy I know, but I am an AMHS student after all. I got busy and kind of  neglected my love for books for a few months until I was at a friend’s house. She had a few books sitting by her bed and I asked her which one was her favorite? She handed me Nightroad and I took it home and started reading. It sparked my love for books again, so I thought I would start a new column of all the books I am going to read and review over the next few weeks. 

To preface this, I am  going to write this like I was telling a friend about this book, not so much like an actual book report. I do actually enjoy talking about books I have read so I thought this would be a perfect place to do it. I also have to shout out Ms. Shifflette because I have had her as an English teacher for 2 years now and her love for reading really inspires me. We do not necessarily read the same things but she has taught me so much about reading and dissecting the book I do read. 

It took me a good two weeks to really get into this book. I kept picking it up and putting it down. I finally forced myself to start reading because I had told my friend I was going to read it and I didn’t want to take her book, tell her I was going to read it, then just not read it. 

So after that being said, I will admit it was a slow start to the book because it is one of those books that has multiple perspectives of the story going at once. So I took you awhile to get into because the character development was slower than usual. 

The book starts out by introducing Lexi as one of the main characters. Her mother was a drug addict that was in and out of jail so Lexi got passed around in the foster care system a fair amount. Until her aunt Eva that lived a simple life in a trailer, working as a Walmart employee took her in and gave her a real home. At the new school Lexi started she met Mia and Zach. It was also a school that a lot of wealthy kids attended and Lexi  felt out of place. Mia and Zach are twins that do everything together, except Zach is the cool one that has all the friends and Mia  just tags along. Mia befriends Lexi because neither of them have any friends. Jude, Mia and Zach’s mom, takes in Lexi like she is one of her own and acts as a mother to her because Eva was great but could not afford all the fun mommy daughter things like getting their nails done or buying prom dresses. 

Some background story information is that Mia used to have one friend but it turns out she was just using her to get close to her cute twin brother Zach. So when Jude’s daughter found a new friend she was always hesitant, because she did not want her daughter to get used and heartbroken by another friend. This was common knowledge in the house and even Zach tried to keep his distance from Lexi. 

 The story progresses and the reader learns that Mia has been let down before by a friend because she was using her only to get close to her brother. So everyone is hesitant when Lexi comes around, careful to not hurt Mia again. 

Stop reading here if you want to read the book because everything below is big spoilers.

**spoilers 

Until one night Lexi tried to kiss Zach when they were drunk t. He pulled away and it did not happen and Lexi was beating herself up about it because all she could think about how much that would affect her best friend Mia. But it turns out Zach came back to her and expressed his feelings for her. The two of them eventually went to Mia and Jude and told them they were in love. Surprisingly, Mia took it really well, while Jude not so much, she thought they were way too young to be in love. 

Lexi and Zach continued dating through their senior year of high school and they both had Mia as their best friends. Throughout the book the three of them are discussing their future plans for college. They all wanted to stay together but Lexi could not afford to go to UCLA like the twins. 

Then the three of them went off to a graduation party and Zach was the DD for the night. Zach was angry with his mom and decided to drink anyways almost to blow off some steam and sort of out of spite. Mia gets drunk. And Lexi does not really drink but was handed  2 drinks from people that she drank. 

Fast forward it is 2:30 am and it passed their curfew and all three of them freak out. Zach tries to drive but Lexi decides she has to do it because she is the most sober and Zach and Mia both can barely walk. 

****mega spoilers 

This is the part of the story that I kind of did not like. It was so predictable. They get into a car crash. Zach is hurt with bad burns, Lexi is alright with minor injuries, and Mia died due to complications in surgery. This is just a huge reminder to everyone how devastating drinking and driving can be.

Lexi ends up in jail for five years. Jude is horribly depressed and can barely function with the loss of her daughter. 

Also another twist to the story is that Lexi is actually pregnant in prison with Zach’s baby. She gives the baby to Zach with full custody and completes her sentence because she does not want to be a mom like her mom was to her. 

The book ends with Lexi and Zach together as a family with their daughter Grace. It took them both a long time to get to that point and even Jude was able to accept it and get past her resentment of Lexi for ‘killing her daughter’. 

Lowkey was not the best book I have ever read, but it was pretty entertaining. I would give the book a ⅘ . 

Also will y’all let me know how y’all feel about spoilers?