Friends, I loved (A LOT) Beyond (book 1) and Before (book 2) by sisters Catina Haverlock and Angela Larkin.
Wait…aren't they YA Romance?
Yep. Paranormal romance, actually.
And aren't you a 42-year-old dad with 6 kids?
Yep.
Well, dang. I guess I'm just a mushy romantic after all.
Hi everyone. My name is Dan. I like to read romance novels.
But I have rules:
1) No shirtless guys on the cover. Or shirtless girls for that matter...but for some reason the girls always have their clothes on. Huh.
2) I must be able to read it out loud to my teenage daughter without her (or me) getting embarrassed.
3) The romance must be age appropriate for the characters.
4) There must be other stuff happening in the book that interests me.
5) It must make me remember how much fun it was falling in love with my wife for the first time.
6) No one can sparkle in the sun.
Check. Check, check, check, check, and check.
Beyond and Before are a little bit Twilight with a MUCH better female lead, a little bit The Sixth Sense without the blood and jump scares, and little bit Ghost without the pottery. They are a lot bit sweet and romantic, and have some legit, white-knuckle anxiety moments mixed in as well.
Honestly, this story did everything right for me.
Set in real-life locations around Lake Tahoe, the story follows 17-year-old Presley as she tries to fit in as the new girl at the school where her single mom has just been hired as Principal. She makes some friends, deals with bully's, takes care of her younger brother who has autism, and falls in love with a cute boy.
Who happens to be dead.
The romance is sweet. The female lead is strong, independent, and a great example for my daughters (I especially liked when she punched her bully in the face. Yep.) The why-can-Presley-see-dead-people mystery is fun. The paranormal elements are a good kind of creepy. The anticipation of figuring out how a story about a girl who falls in love with a ghost can possibly have a happy ending? Outstanding.
There are some of the usual YA pitfalls—insta-love that borders on insta-obsession, a boy with no flaws, a love triangle—but they weren’t obnoxious, and they blended in well with the story. Not a concern.
I was particularly touched by how the story treated Presley's autistic brother, Chase, who is a very present character in both books. If autism touches your life, you have an ally in Beyond and Before. Chase's character was inspired by co-author Catina's own child who has autism, and Chase and Presley's sibling relationship is patterned after Catina's own children. As a dad I can't even think of the tenderness these siblings have for their brother without feeling teary and emotional. Because of Catina's personal experience, she can write about living with autism in a very raw, real, and eye-opening way. It's as much a tribute as it is an effort to generate awareness. It's an outstanding addition to this story and is very, very well done.
I appreciated the responsible, age appropriate, and realistic romance between the high-school aged main characters. The female lead is strong in the right places and vulnerable in the right places. The male lead is respectful, thoughtful, and kind. They are physically romantic with each other while communicating boundaries and acknowledging there is a point of no return they choose to avoid instead of trying to get as close as they can. These elements are all very meaningful to me as a dad who wants to help my children understand how to have their own age-appropriate relationships, and to find this in a YA romance book is exceedingly rare. This is a big deal, folks, and it makes Beyond and Before treasures. I'd be happy to have my teenagers read these books.
So ya, if romance books are like these, sign me up. I don't think I'll find many that fit my requirements, though. The rest are barf.
No sex, no language, no violence. You will find teens kissing, the value of surrounding yourself with good friends, how to be a good friend, family love, dealing with grief and death, the challenges of living with autism, taking responsibility for your actions, and discussions about doing what’s right even when it's the harder choice.
Oh, and you’ll also learn what has to happen before you can make out with a ghost. Hopefully that won’t come up too often though…
Mature 12 and up, probably more like 14 and up.
Happy Reading!
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