Long Way Home by Ann Vaughn

 Shane McCanton and Tessa Kelly were childhood enemies. Everything was a contest to them and Tessa always seemed to show Shane that nice guys finished last. Things change, however, when hormones take over and Shane begins to see the perpetual thorn-in-his-side as more than just his childhood nemesis...

Tessa had never meant to set into motion events that led to their childhood rivalry, but once it started, she embraced it with gusto - until her world started to fall apart and she realized that Shane was the one constant in her life, her rock who would never leave her and help her find her Long Way Home...

This is one of those books that give you the character’s nearly entire life experience.  It starts with Shane and Tessa in kindergarten and follows them until adulthood.  As young children, they are each other’s nemeses, but as young adults they find that they mean more to each other (and have more interest in each other) than they would know.  They go their separate ways but always manage to find a way back to one another.  Their love and connection is tested time again, and you really begin to wonder as the book progresses if they’ll ever end up together as you know they should.

I really liked the storyline of this book.  I like being taken on a journey in a book, and this book really takes you through the entire arc of the character’s lives.  You see how they view each other as children all the way up until adulthood, and that sets up some intense emotions and serious investment in the characters.  And the characters are great.

This book really tore me up though.  There was seriously a part I came to when I didn’t know if I was going to make, but kept going because I had to know!  Whoa is all I have to say.  It was an incredibly emotional read.  Plus, it was written really well.  What I really liked was how as the perspective changes and the characters grow, the voice matures as well.  At the beginning the writing is very simple, as a child would tell it, and it grows from there.  I thought that was very clever. 

Overall, I thought this was a great story.  Engaging, emotional and well-written.  4.5 stars.