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Two-way Street Paperback – June 26, 2007
| Lauren Barnholdt (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Publication dateJune 26, 2007
- Grade level9 - 12
- Reading age14 years and up
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101416913181
- ISBN-13978-1416913184
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Product details
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Repackage ed. edition (June 26, 2007)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1416913181
- ISBN-13 : 978-1416913184
- Reading age : 14 years and up
- Grade level : 9 - 12
- Item Weight : 9.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #769,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Lauren Barnholdt is the author of the teen novels The Thing About the Truth, Sometimes It Happens, One Night That Changes Everything, Two-way Street, Right of Way, and Watch Me. She is also the author of the middle grade novels The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney, Devon Delaney Should Totally Know Better, Four Truths and a Lie, Rules for Secret-Keeping, Fake Me a Match, and the Girl Meets Ghost series. She lives in Waltham, Massachusetts. Visit her at LaurenBarnholdt.com.
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The story goes back and forth from present day road trip to the past when they met and fell in love. You get "real time" in the last fifty pages. You also go back and forth between the two characters, and from chapter to chapter, you never know where you'll be--in Jordan's head or Courtney's head, in the past or in the present--BUT it works! Of course, she gives that information at the top of the page to ground you, too.
As I mentioned in my title, I was inspired by this book to write my own YA novel. My AMAZING Husband asked me to give him 3 books that are similar to the type of story I am trying to tell, so he can read in advance before seeing any of my work. He felt he could then understand the genre better--since he does not read YA himself--and get an understanding for what's the norm and what's expected. I gave him Susane Colasanti's When It Happens, Simone Elkeles' Rules of Attraction and Barnholdt's Two-Way street.
All of these books are First Person Dual POV, and also give different takes on how they are done. He first read When It Happens. He thought it was . . . okay. Again, he doesn't read YA, so I wasn't expecting him to really like it or anything--I just appreciated his efforts.
Then he read Two-Way Street. While it would still be a stretch to say he 'enjoyed' it, I did see him laugh out loud at one or two parts, and he was impressed with how the male character--Jordan--was crafted. He felt the author was able to capture how guys really think and act--and I agree.
I first read it--and reread it--in June when I checked it out from the library. Then I bought it in July and read it again. Then last month, I read just Jordan's chapters, taking notes of certain phrases and descriptions that I really liked, to use as inspiration when I am writing from my own male main character's POV. And since then, whenever I get stuck and need inspiration--or just want to get in the right mindset when writing my male character--I thumb through a few chapters.
I've talked a lot about how well crafted Jordan is, but Courtney is a fun protag, too. She is the right mix of snarky, insecure, funny and sexy. Together, they make for a fun, believable couple that seem very true to life. And the story itself reels you in. They have a lot of funny parts, a lot of swoony-romantic parts, a lot of tension and a lot of witty banter. If you can't tell, I highly recommend this book!
[...]
The books starts shortly after Courtney and Jordan's break up, and right before they begin a road trip together. Jordan says he met a girl on MySpace and that's why he broke up with her, but through the story, you see his side of the story and the true reason he broke up with her.
All the while, Courtney is forced to go through with this road trip with this boy she thinks doesn't like her because of some mysterious internet girl. Like most girls would do, she creates a picture of this girl in her mind, even though she's never seen any evidence of her online.
It's a funny, quick read and a good way to spend the day.
Once more, Barnholdt had alternating chapters to the past and present, this time from the POV of both her main characters, Jordan and Courtney. This format ended up working well for me because Barnholdt moved forward in each chapter; she didn't waste time detailing the same exact event(s) from the perspective of each of her narrators.
The alternating timeline definitely helped in fleshing out the characters -- Jordan in particular. Though it made for some amusing situations, his player tendencies made him a tad unlikable at the beginning. It was interesting to see the change in him once he begins to spend more time with Courtney, though. His sweeter side definitely came out! As for Courtney, she's understandably cold to Jordan in the present but we're allowed to see just how much she really misses him. Their interactions were the perfect mix of humorous, heartbreaking, and touching.
I was probably just having a slow moment, but the secret Jordan was holding onto took me by surprise. I didn't see it coming! I would have liked to see more resolution to the situation, or at least have the characters discuss it further, but I'll take what we got.
A bonus that this book had going for it were the side characters, Jocelyn and B.J. They were out of control! They weren't super fleshed out or anything, but they made for some extra comedic relief while everything else was going down. I loved getting a peek into their antics and behavior and they made quite the contrast to our main duo.
Overall, Two-Way Street was a fun summer read with the right amount of humor and romance. I can't wait to pick up the rest of Barnholdt's books!
Top reviews from other countries
Not only did this book feature a realistic teen relationship/break-up, annoyingly accurate stereotypical secondary characters and a slowly unfolding mystery, but it also took place on a road trip. I love road trips (Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is, like, the BEST), and this was no exception to that rule. There's something about being in a car along, on the road with the possibility of taking a different route or going in completely the wrong direction that appeals to me. I don't quite know why, as I'm a ridiculously organised person. I would probably be the Courtney of this story - the sensible, good girl who has an itinerary and a set time frame for things. So yes, road trips. Give me more of 'em, please!
As I mentioned earlier, Two-Way Street was predictable. But predictable in a good way. I knew how it would end and what would become of Courtney and Jordan as a plural, and I even suspected the twist before it made itself apparent. Still, that didn't make me enjoy it any less, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to readers looking for a fun summery book. It was an enjoyable book with older YA characters and older themes, which I appreciated. I don't think we see enough of that in YA fiction (although that's now changing!), but Barnholdt always seems to deliver. I'm looking forward to my next book of hers, as she writes my preferred type of contemporary fiction.
3.5/5
No wonder Courtney and Jordan were an unlikely couple, they are completely opposites. Courtney is pretty uptight and likes to follow certain rules. She really doesn't believe in sleeping around or random hook ups. She has pretty strict morals and wont do anything to stray for them. She may sound boring, but she isn't. Courtney does know how to have fun though but knows how to do it in a way that doesn't compromise what she believes in. I could totally understand Courtney's feeling towards Jordan, both the good and the bad. If someone dumped me for some random girl on the internet, I would be fuming and I definitely wouldn't want him to know that I still cared. Although her reactions were predictable, they were justified. I would probably want to make a guy as jealous as possible if they did that to me!
Jordan is the player of the story. He is used to getting any girl he wants and definitely doesn't do relationships. He does casual hook ups and likes to play games with girls so obviously, I was going to love him from the very beginning. I just cant help being attracted to the bad boys, the ones you aren't supposed to like. The thing with Jordan was that there is a hell of a lot more to him than someone who does whatever he likes. Throughout the story, so much more of his personality is revealed and you can see that there is a lot more to him than he lets on to most people. I loved that there were different sides to his character as it made it possible to love both the good and bad in him.
Due to the state Courtney and Jordan's relationship is in, there is plenty of tension between them while on the road trip. The anger and frustration was clear to see from both sides and I enjoyed watching the banter between them. Courtney is trying to make Jordan jealous and Jordan is trying to act like he doesn't care at all. It was funny to see them both act this way when it was obvious that it was not actually how either of them felt. Then, during the flashbacks to the earlier days in their relationship, I got to see the real Courtney and Jordan. Their relationship was sweet and it was clear that they both really cared a lot about each other. Being able to see this other side to their relationship was great as it gave their characters completely different dimensions and I could really see what was going on.
The language used is real. Finally. Courtney, Jordan and their friends are real teenagers. Teenagers like the kind of teenager I was when I was that age, probably younger actually. I know there is quite a big thing about swearing in YA books but sometimes, it is definitely needed. As much as I wish that this wasn't the case, I don't think teenage characters can be very real unless they are written like a real teenager. For that reason, I think the language used in this book really helped to make the characters as amazing as they were. Teenagers do swear and they do sleep around and do things that they shouldn't and I don't see why this doesn't happen in more books. I wouldn't want it to be in your face or overdone though but this book had just the right amount.
The road trip idea was fun, if not a bit predictable but I didn't mind that at all. Although this isn't your typical road trip kind of book, it was a great story for summer romance and relationships. The only thing that did bug me a little bit was the cover of this book. Both the front and back cover show a red convertible that has broken down but this is not the case. The cover is quite misleading since Jordan's car is not red nor a convertible plus, it says in the book that he has dark hair and the model used has blonde hair. I know I'm being a little bit too picky with that but it just doesn't match the story properly.
Two-Way Street is heart-warming, entertaining and very romantic. There is also a little bit of mystery, tension and passion between the main characters and I loved them both completely! This was the first of Lauren Barnholdt's books that I have read but I definitely want to see more from her now! A great book!
Secondly, it's supposed to be YA but the way the characters were acting for 18 year olds was pretty ridiculous at times. It was like they were fifteen or something. I struggled to get Courtney. She was so annoying at times, so whiny and inner turmoil-y. So immature compared to some other books I've read lately.
Thirdly, the thing that split them up was pretty obvious after about 100 pages. A lot of drama over something that could have been so easily sorted out.
Not my sort of book.



