Book Review – Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson

Puddle Jumping
I posted this one on a list, a week or so ago (I think… for the new release list?) and Cynthia recommended it upon it’s release,

Cynthia: This week I read a sweet and amazing book: “PuddleJumping” by Amber L. Johnson.  It’s a short and beautiful love story about a very special boy and an amazing girl that loves him unconditionally. The author writes from the heart and it’s a world she is well versed in.

and the blurb definitely had me intrigued:

“Years later, they meet again and Lilly learns that there is something special about the boy she once knew, but she has no idea what it all means.”

Hrmmm… what was this “thing” that made him so special? And what was the decision!!?

“But one decision threatens to break down the world that Lilly has tried so hard to integrate into and she must figure out if the relationship can survive if they are apart.”

It was only (and still is as of the date of this review), so I was lucky that a few of you jumped on it, ’cause shortly thereafter, I received a few more recommendations.

Bev: Puddle Jumping was so sweet. It was just a novella and I wish it was longer.

Jeanie: I enjoyed Puddle Jumping as well.  Super sweet read.  🙂

Kirsten: Loved Puddle Jumping!

“Sweet” was the consensus, and well… I really like “sweet”. But I don’t tend to jump on them as quick unless I’m feeling mellow and want to stay that way. 😉 But then my husband saw this recommendation…

Whitney: Found a gem. If you haven’t yet, you should check out Puddle Jumping by Amber Johnson. Such a sweet story. Not super steamy like we’re typically into,  but a super heartfelt love story about two kids, one of which *spoiler*. Very quick read. Perfect book if you need a short break from our super angsty tear jearkers or bad boys, but still want the feels. 🙂

and he decided! He one-clicked it for me, and I was reading it now. *shrug* Yep, sometimes, I throw caution to the wind and just “go” with his decisions. 😉 After all, how can you turn down a boy’s request for you to read a book that he bought for you… right?

And boy am I glad he did. As I was reading it, I wondered to myself what it was about it that hooked me so? This was my strangest enjoyment of a book. I just had to tell our fellow readers:

My husband bought me puddle jumping. Puddle jumpers? Jumping puddles? I’m almost done. It’s sweet, and actually a fast-ish read. There’s an interesting quality to it that has me enjoying it, even though it’s high school and has a young feel to it. Very PG. But there’s something about it that’s holding my attention… I like it well enough. Definitely an unconventional love story…

I mean, in essence, it was 80% completely high-school driven, and being in her mind was well… like being in a silly-sweet, somewhat naive, definitely innocent teenager’s mind. The whole way through. And it was PG. Maybe even just “G”. 😉 There were no bad boys. No tattoos. No super-steam. No college-life crazy drama. No marital issues to tear my heart apart. No love triangles. No dark-themes to keep me on the edge of my seat.

No “things that usually attract Maryse.” 😉

BUT!!! Actually… there was ONE thing that I can’t resist in a romance book, and that is an unconventional love story. <— AND THIS had that!
So what’s it about?

Lily and Colton become fast-friends at a young age (so cute!), but she kept on getting herself (and subsequently, him, too) into danger. Well, not really, but at 5 and 6 years old, she sure as heck managed to scare both sets of parents with the lightning strikes, and the stitches and well… you get the picture.

His mom broke them up as children (putting an end to their adorable friendship), and she never saw him again. But she never forgot him either. And when he enrolls in her high school many years later, their connection re-ignites almost immediately.

I’m stopping there. I went in totally blind (thanks to my husband for not letting me see the email that convinced him I needed to read this… I *spoilered* it out, above), so when things started coming together, and the reveals were made crystal clear, I was VERY excited. I was IN!!! I couldn’t wait to see, NO!! experience how this one would play out. There were so many possibilities, and I was so pleased with where the author took us.

Because she allowed us her “crush”. That initial intensity. She allowed us that “getting to know you” period. The realizations. The adjustments. The misunderstandings. The personal connection that rivals all others. And the disappointments. The innocence of first love… and first heartbreak. The angst. It’s all there.

Yes… it’s “PG”, and yes, I felt as if I was hanging out with a fifteen year old (okay, maybe 17 year old… depends on which part of the book you’re on – it definitely had that young feel) BUT!!!! I couldn’t stop (didn’t want to stop) reading it.

Puddle Jumping is so good, and there isn’t a thing about this book that I could forget. It’s unforgettable, unique, thoroughly entertaining and easy to connect to. Thank you husband (and recommenders!). I had a sweet evening full of “feels”.

4 stars!