Review: A Long Way from You by Gwendolyn Heasley

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

For too long, Kitsy has had to satisfy her dreams of becoming a real artist by giving her friends makeovers before prom. So when her best friend Corrinne's family offers to sponsor her for a summer art course in New York City, Kitsy bids a temporary good-bye to Texas to say hello to the West Village.

Between navigating the subway and the New Yorkers—namely, the Art Boy who has a nice trick of getting under her skin—Kitsy knows that this summer is going to be about a lot more than figure drawing.

Review:

You know those cute types of reads that manage to make you simile and laugh as well as pull at your heartstrings? Well, A Long Way from You by Gwendolyn Heasley was definitely one of those types. It was sweet and adorable to say the least!

A Long Way from You begins the story of Kitsy, a country girl from Texas who is dying to get her big breakthrough in Art. Luckily, that breakthrough comes when her best friend Corrinne and her family offer to host Kitsy in New York for the summer as well as help her through one of the New York's finest art programs. Kitsy quickly says goodbye to her sweet yet clueless boyfriend, her lackluster mother, and her adorable brother. Arriving in New York, Kitsy find out that some things are just like she imagined and dreamed they would be but others aren't. All she knows is that this summer is going to be the summer that may break or make her....

From the first page, I was instantly charmed by Kitsy's voice. It was country in the best way possible and it managed to be nearly pitch perfect for someone in Kitsy's position. Kitsy was a girl who is used to working hard for the things she had in life and that made her incredibly strong and dauntless, in my opinion. I loved seeing the way she was with her brother, but Kitsy was also someone who sometimes forgot to pick what was best for her, but that changed in A Long Way from You. Through her art program as well as an unlikely friendship with a budding musician, Kitsy begins to see life in a different perspective, one that changes her from a sometimes naive yet adorable country girl into a hard hitting city girl who's not afraid to ask for what she wants. I loved seeing the transformation, even though her choices at times made me cringe. I also enjoyed the wide variety of other characters introduced in this such as the mysterious Art Boy and the various friends she makes through her program and her family and friends back home. All had an influential part in the story.

The plot in this was also well done as well as a lot of fun! I loved seeing Kitsy explore New York City as well as the various dramas evolve that came from that. The plot line I enjoyed the most, though, was seeing Kitsy evolve as an artist as well as a person. It wasn't an easy journey for Kitsy, but it sure was interesting to see. I also enjoyed the plot twist with the Art Boy. It definitely didn't unroll like I thought it would, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless, even though it has me itching for a sequel.

In all, A Long Way from You is a fabulous summery read, one that I highly suggest to fans of contemp YA. Now I can't wait to dive into Gwendolyn's first book as well as the companion to this, Where I Belong.

Grade: B+

A Long Way from You (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publicist- thanks Katie!