I felt bamboozled & hoodwinked by this book. Steven Manchester sent me a synopsis that read "A beautifully crafted and poignant coming of age story where loyalties will be divided, friendships will be tested, teenage love will be discovered, and through it all, the enduring bond between a boy and his beloved dog will always be remembered."
Here I was expecting a slow moving love story. You set your heart up for the story you want to hear when you think you know the story line. Well not this time. I was taken for a fast paced joy ride that had me gripping my Kindle wishing I could shake some sense into Billy & Charlie. The changing season is more than a coming of age story. It's a lesson on love, loyalty, morality & the blurring of those very fine lines.
You find yourself identifying with Billy because we've all been at that point to look at life & wonder what do I even mean to this world. You get to go through this time knowing that there is no rush to grow up & speak back to Billy along with his friends with experience. Which makes this read awesome. You empathize, commiserate & rejoice right along with the characters. You start offering up real life advice to the pages because you of course know better.....now.
While this story is Billy 's story, you can't help but want to delve into his close circle of family & friends. The Changing Season takes you on a surprising ride that's not only a coming of age but a brilliant depiction of what it is like to hit the grown up button after the fairytale of adolescence.
You should read this story if you're tired of the typical boy meets girl coming of age love story. There is way more depth & thrill. Steven Manchester never fails to create a story that isn't like anything you expected. He is a nice blend of John Grisham meets Nicholas Sparks without telling you the same story 40 different ways. Steven Manchester makes each story it's own & embodies a great tale of generational legacy.
My reading Soundtrack: Tom O'Dell - Can't Pretend, Nicole Scherzinger - Run & Andy Mineo - Ghost.
