The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

Release Date: June 24, 2014

Publisher: Katherine Tegen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 368  

Summary:Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when basketball star Brady Cullen asks her out, and she just about faints when her strict father actually approves of him.

But when school starts up again, Brady changes. What happened to the sweet boy she fell in love with? Then she meets a smoldering guy in his twenties, and this “cowboy” is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina.

Bettina knows that breaking up with Brady would mean giving up her freedom—and that it would be inappropriate for anything to happen between her and Cowboy. Still, she can’t help that she longs for the scent of his auto shop whenever she’s anywhere else.

When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.

Leslie Connor has written a lyrical, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about family, romance, and the immense power of love.

My Thoughts:  I actually enjoyed this one even though it was a little bit awkward.

We are introduced to Bettina who goes to school, has a boyfriend, joins the cheer-leading squad and spends time at home with her family. Her family is somewhat strict.

She also meets a boy named Cowboy. No, he is not her boyfriend. He’s a guy down at a mechanic shop she eventually runs into. I really liked Cowboy. I liked the way he acted and talked to Bettina. But he was older. Quite a bit older. Old enough to go to jail.

At first, I couldn’t really tell how much older he was. Just a few years? 10 years older? I really didn’t know. So, as I read I liked him a lot. I think it helped that her boyfriend didn’t treat her very well so seeing how Cowboy treated her made me happy.

Just as Bettina is figuring out her true feelings something major happens and it just threw me for a loop. It broke my heart. I don’t even know what to say. Yes, I teared up a little bit.

I really enjoyed The Things You Kiss Goodbye and I’m glad I finally read it.

Overall: I pretty much devoured this one before bed one night. I stayed up really late just so I could finish it! I highly recommend this one if you like contemps!

Cover:  Like it, I think it looks cool. And it fits so well since we can see her long braid. Cute!

What I’d Give It: