Customer Reviews

Two-way Street

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Well-known for her first novel, Reality Chick, Lauren Barnholdt has a new offering worth checking out. TWO-WAY STREET is the perfect book if you are interested in learning about both sides in a couple's breakup.

Courtney and Jordan are about to begin a three day trip from their homes in Florida to their college orientation in Boston. Usually this would be cause for excitement, but this trip is bound to be uncomfortable. The reason is because, two weeks ago, Jordan broke up with Courtney, supposedly because he met a girl on MySpace. Since the plans for the trip have already been made, Courtney's parents are insisting that she stick with those plans and travel with her ex all the way to Boston.

The characters and details of this novel are well-developed. Courtney is ultra-organized, schedule-oriented, and germaphobic. Jordan is a relaxed, take-things-as-they-come, rap lover. The story reveals their quirky best friends who are always just a cell phone call away waiting to offer whatever support their own busy lives allow. The private lives of Jordan and Courtney's parents offer their own unique brand of suspense to the plot. In addition, an underlying thread of the plot involves continued references to the use of MySpace, which is sure to be an attention-grabber for teen readers.

Barnholdt created the book with alternating chapters. In Jordan's chapters he tells his version of the story before, during, and after the trip, and Courtney does the same in her chapters. This unique style allows readers to sort of "read between the lines" of the breakup. The characters are dealing with secrets they feel must not be revealed. The resulting tension and hard feelings created by the secrets will have readers rooting first for Jordan and then for Courtney.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Two-Way Street, by the snarky Lauren Barnholdt, is an awesome read.

Told in the same back-and-forth time jump of her debut novel Reality Chick, Lauren added another level and threw in alternating viewpoints! My brain hurts just thinking about working on something like that! But Lauren pulled it off well.

Courtney is forced to drive across the country with her ex-boyfriend Jordan because well, they'd planned the trip before they broke up, and it was too late to make alternative arrangements. At least, that's the word out on the street. The other word is that Jordan dumped Courtney for a chick he met on MySpace. And now she has to ride across the country with him. The guy who dumped her for a MySpace skank who Courtney has named Mercedes in her mind.

Poor Courtney.

Poor Jordan, too. But it's not how you think.

The story jumps back and forth between the past, highlighting the development of their relationship, and the present--the three days on the road. You will be pleasantly surprised at the twists that pop up in this book, and you'll be rooting for both of them at the end.

My only complaint isn't even Lauren's fault. It's the cover artist's/photographer's fault. Jordan drives an SUV in the story, and there is a CONVERTIBLE on the cover. *grumble*

Oh well. The book's good.

i've read this book so many times, the pages are all dog-eared and i still love it too pieces.
Courtney and Jordan are so great together and they just can't see that, it took them three whole days, jam-packed with drama and lies, to figure out what they have is so, ultimately, perfect, and they belong together.
This book is the best and i recommend you read it.

Two-way Street is a book about love, lies, heart break, growing up, finding out a thing or two about the 'real world'. I like the way it was written. It has two different perspectives and jumps back in the past so we can see a story and plot building up. It's a cute beach read and I think many teens would enjoy it.

I really liked this book. Not my favorite, and I would not give it five stars, but it was really good. I don't know if it was worth the $9 I paid for it, though. Even though it's almost 300 pages, I thought it was really short. I read it in 3 hours, but I guess I'm just a fast reader.

I liked the two points of views, but at times it was confusing what was the present vs. past or Courtney vs. Jordan. I liked that I could get the same story from the point of view from two different people. Every story can be told from at least two points of views so I liked that I could get what Jordan was thinking about a situation compared to what Courtney thought about the same thing. That made it different from the typical love story you see all of the time, which I really liked.

I would recommend this book to other people. It's a short book that's definitely a great read!

I loved that there were two points of views for this book. I also really liked the simplicity of the plot and the relationship between the two characters. HOwever, I hated both the guy and the girl to some degree....none of the characters were likable. I tend to enjoy books where the characters give me a warm and fuzzy feeling, and I know that most books don't have that. The girl was a bit** to be very blunt. I know she is upset but I didn't like how childish she was throughout most of the book. The guy? He was alright, but I didn't exactly find his character complex or anything..except the fact that he was driven mad in love with the girl for some unexplainable reason. I was curious of the ending though, so i kept reading.

This book hooks you immediately with its relatable characters and witty narration, which alternates each chapter with the girl's perspective versus the boy's. The story begins after Jordan breaks up with Courtney, but still wants to drive her cross-country to the college they will both be attending. Throughout the book, they each tell their side of the story of how they met, fell in love, and why they broke up. Lauren Barnholdt has created a clever style of showing how secrets and misunderstandings can lead us to make bad decisions. It reads quickly and is thoroughly enjoyable.
--Reviewed by Jodi Wayne

This book shows that all stories have two sides to it. The author emphasizes her point by switching point of views and by adding flashbacks. The twists were very unpredictable so it kept you on your toes. Overall, it was a easy and entertaining read.

Two Way Street was a cute and quick read. As a member of the audience that is far older than Barnholdt's target I was pleased that it kept me entertained despite the fact that my own relationship experience gave me a much different perspective of Jordan and Courtney's situation.

Barnholdt wrote her teenage characters with great clarity and in a most believable way. The jock wasn't too dumb, the brain too smart, and their friends were the right combination of comic relief and supportive sounding board. The situations they found themselves in for the most part were high school oriented (parties, dates, etc.) and showcased in a realistic light.

I did, however, have a small problem with the idea that Courtney's parents made her go on a cross-country road trip with Jordan despite their break up. I found that somewhat unbelievable. I doubt a parent would add to an already stressful situation (going off to college for the first time) by requiring their child to travel with a former boy/girlfriend. Having said that, I was able to over look that aspect to enjoy the different situations Jordan and Courtney were put into. I was able to compartmentalize the parental issue, as it really was what drove the overarching plot.

The strength of Two Way Street lies in the author's ability to write the story from both Jordan and Coutrney's viewpoint. Going back and forth in time as well as character viewpoint is no small task and Barnholdt did so without confusing the reader. Unique visual prompts allowed us to know where we were in the story and with whom thus making it easy to follow.

Two Way Street was a good look into the minds of teenagers as they manage to navigate the relationships in their lives, become distinct individuals, and mature into adulthood.

I purchased this book a few hours ago and just finished it. Over all, this book was very entertaining. I loved how the book has flashback,present time,and fore shawdows told from both points of veiw. the only thing I didn't like was the over use of sex and drugs. I am thirteen and found those innapropriate. This is definatly a book for highschools. Other then that, I thought this book was amazing.It really captures the reader. Its exciting and fast paced. Also, it was sad and you feel the emotions that both Courtny and Jordon experience. I cried about 3 times. Haha