On Long-Distance Relationships: A Review of The Geography of You and Me

Ahhh... Another week of reading amazing books and watching equally amazing TV shows. I binge-watched Game of Thrones and I think I'm still hung over from the intensity of the Mountain and the Red Viper's fight scene, the battle at the Wall, and Tyrion and Tywin's rather heart-wrenching conversation. Here I am, taking a break from all that by talking about something far from intense.

I also read The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer Smith last week.

First things first. That elevator plot is cute. I've seen too much of Grey's Anatomy to know that elevator rides are not just elevator rides, so yeah, it piqued my interest. Being stuck is scary. I would have panicked or hyperventilated. But if I'm going to meet my soul mate in there, I guess that's fine.

I initially thought that this was just your usual YA romance novel, and that was okay with me... but then I found that there's the travel thing so I went from being interested to hell yeah!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="503"] Hell yeah! [Source: Tumblr][/caption]You see, I love traveling (who doesn't?). Sadly, Lucy and Owen didn't travel together. That's the problem -- it was a long-distance relationship. Sucks.

After reading several YA novels with whiny, entitled, childish characters, I was happy to get to know Lucy and Owen who are both smart,responsible, and kind of old-school with their choice of communication tool. Lucy's rich but she's not braggy; she's actually simple and keeps to herself -- an introvert like me. And Lucy and I share the same favorite city (Paris, although I haven't been there) and same favorite spot in Paris (Point Zero in Notre Dame). Owen's poor and broken (because of his mother's death) but he's resourceful, smart, and a very good son.

But more than young love and travels, this book's most interesting subject is the viability of long-distance relationships.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] If only this happens every time... [Source: thetortoiseknows][/caption]I'm not a fan of long distance relationships. Although I know that some LDRs do survive, I believe that most have the opposite fate. The communication hurdles, trust issues, physical absence -- it makes things a lot harder. But that's just me. I also believe that when it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

Lucy and Owen were not just facing regular couple troubles. They were apart, separated my thousands of miles. They don't email or IM each other the way normal people do. And they're not even officially a couple! Sure, they had this special bond once on a starry, quiet night but after a few postcards, who's to say that they can actually make it?

And so besides making me love the lost art of postcard writing, this book made me think about the chances of a long distance relationship at survival. So kudos to Jennifer Smith for writing a gem, something that's not just meant to entertain but also to touch hearts and minds.

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Wish you were here! - Lucy and Owen [Source: Simplon][/caption]Do you think LDRs work? Let me know in the Comments!

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