Review: The Boy From The Woods by Jen Minkman

Title: The Boy From The Woods

Author: Jen Minkman

Publication Date: December 1, 2013

Synopsis:

Julia fell down on her knees next to his lifeless body, her heart filling with dread as she noticed the left side of his face was covered in blood. He had fallen off the motorbike, hitting his temple on a sharp-edged rock. His head injury looked really, really bad.
“Michael?” she whispered softly, putting a trembling hand on his forehead. “Can you hear me?”

Julia has been in love with Michael for years. He’s the hottest guy in school, and she can’t believe her luck when they finally hit it off during Senior Prom. Her dream doesn’t last, though: after a few dates, he callously dumps her out of the blue. Summer vacation starts with Julia feeling heart-broken and miserable.

But then she rescues Michael in the woods when he has a motorcycle accident in a heavy thunderstorm. From that point onward, her life is turned upside down. Michael has changed completely after the blow to the head that nearly killed him... and he wants her back. But why is he so different? And will she be able to trust him this time around?

Can the boy who broke your heart ever win it back again..?

My Thoughts:

At some point in life, everyone develops a crush. For two years, Julia has been in love with Michael. At the end of her final year in high school, it seems that Michael has finally noticed her. Julia is beyond thrilled, that is until he stops answering her calls and ignores her. Heartbroken, Julia swears she will never let her guard down around him again. But that changes when she finds him badly hurt in the woods and saves his life. Now Michael seems like a completely different person. He wants to be with her and is willing to do what it takes to make the past right. But can this new Michael earn back her trust without breaking her heart all over again?

The Boy From The Woods is a remarkable tale about first loves, family, and friendship that everyone can relate to. (Except, or course, for the paranormal aspects involved.) Julia is a special character, she has a strong personality and a huge heart. At an age where most people would be off partying or hanging out with friends, Julia still finds time to read to her little sister and to visit her grandmother often. She loves the woods and has claimed a special oak tree as her own. I loved this about her and I know that if she were a real person, I'd want to be friends with her. Even though she is going through a horrible event, she works through it and doesn't lash out at family and friends.

Michael, our leading male, starts out as a complete jerk. I can't say I was on his side after what he did to Julia at first, but after a while I really started to like him. Of course, by then he was completely different. The relationship between Michael and Julia was captivating. How do you go about righting such a huge wrong? Michael certainly tries his hardest to make things right and I enjoyed watching him win back Julia's heart.

The only minor issue I had with this story was the relationship between Julia and her new neighbor, Thorsten. After only hanging out with each other a few times, Thorsten declares that he is in love with Julia. I didn't see enough communication between them to really buy his feelings as genuine, so I would have liked some more time dedicated to this relationship before Thorsten let his feelings be known.

Even though I figured out the twist to the story long before it was revealed, I still thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the story. And even though I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did, it couldn't have ended a better way. The author does an amazing job of creating believable characters and a quick paced plot that you won't be able to turn away from.

Overall, The Boy From The Woods is a story that I would recommend time and time again, especially if you like a little paranormal thrown into a realistic setting. 

For more about Jen Minkman and The Boy From The Woods, visit her website here.

Purchase: 

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*I received this book for free in exchange of an honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way and all views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.