Take the Long Way Home by J.A. Rock

 Dresden Marich has failed out of high school three months shy of graduation. He’s infatuated with his online friend, Evan, alienated from his family and former classmates, and still trying to recover from his father’s death six years ago. He’s also keeping a troubling secret about his older brother, Gunner, who is away at boot camp.


Then Dresden meets Caleb, a judgmental environmentalist who’s hardly Dresden’s fantasy come true. But Caleb seems to understand Dresden’s desire for rough sex, big feelings, and, ultimately, safety. As Dresden becomes embroiled in a farmers market drama involving Caleb, a couple of bullying tomato enthusiasts, and a gang of vigilante vegans, he discovers he might be willing to trade a fantasy relationship with Evan for a shot at something real with Caleb.


But Dresden fears telling quick-to-judge Caleb his secret, and the news that Gunner is coming home sends him fleeing to California for a chance to meet Evan in person and hopefully fall in love. When the encounter doesn’t go as expected, Dresden faces a choice: stay in California and carve out a new life, or take the long road home to his family, Caleb, and a past he must face if he has any hope for a future.

When I first started this book, I will admit I was very confused and actually put it down a few times because I had no clue what was going on.  But there was something about it that kept drawing me back to pick up my kindle and start reading it again.

After I was able to get into the story itself, I was really intrigued by where Ms. Rock was going with it.  I wanted to find out what was going to happen to Dresden and I thought that Ms. Rock did a good job with his mental state of mind.  It was fun, in a way, to try to follow along with his train of thought and to see what he was facing.

I did also like Caleb, and how he was willing to try to make Dresden happy.  The light that he did bring to Dresden was so good, and so nice.  But also the way that Dresden was trying to make Caleb happy too.  The story between the two of them was so much fun to read.  And getting to meet Evan?  Man he was just… strange.  But it was a great addition to the story.

I will be honest and say that this was between a 3 and 4 star rating throughout the first part of the story.  But what pushed it up to a 5 star?  Is because Ms. Rock is the only one who I would ever read a book that talked about poopie sex acts.  (And no, she doesn’t actually HAVE those kinds of scenes.  They just talk about it!)

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