GRR Reviews Let it be Me by Barbara Speak

Let It Be Me started off like a trope: angst-y teenager, uprooted from her life, falls with a rebellious hunky bad boy neighbor. It's not until you finish the book and rethink the plot, that you realize the book is actually quite a bit deeper than it seems.

Arianna Dubray was uprooted from her yuppie life of Prada shoes and Michael Kors bags in Baltimore onto a farm in Montana, and she knew exactly why... she "caused" it and her entire family is paying the price. Her step-father is abusing and her mother is simply doing... NOTHING. Her little stepsister is the only person she can rely on, but they're in the same boat/house. Her hunky neighbor Canyon has his own problems, needing to prove to the town that his family name is not mud, and he can make it on his own. Arianna hated this town, where nothing was familiar, and nobody likes strangers. But Canyon proved to be the exception. But when trouble found her in the little town, and her family, including Canyon, had been attacked, Arianna had to gather the courage to do the one thing that may set her free...

Romantic Suspense, and VERY nicely done. Arianna came across as sympathetic, and neither weak or strong, but a careful balance of both. Initially, she came across as a passive-aggressive brat falling for the bad boy neighbor. But as you read on, she slowly turned into someone who knows what she wanted and she'll do anything to protect her family... (just her sister, really she couldn't care less about step-douche and mom). It's coming of age AND redemption all rolled into one.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Teenager forced to live on a farm in Montana falls for the bad boy next door; then bad guys found her and her family...

Tropes: fish out of water, different worlds, neighbor, protector, woman in peril

Overall Rating:  5/5