Book Synopsis:
When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn't think things could get any worse. But that's before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her.
Autumn doesn't know much about Dax except that he's trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he's not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.
Only he doesn't come. No one does.
Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye.
As he and Autumn at first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn's old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax's side?
My Review:
4.5/5 stars. This is the third Kasie West book I’ve read, and it’s my least favorite, but I rated the other two 5 stars so this was still a great book. I don’t know exactly why I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the other books by her, but I just didn’t click with it as much as I wanted to.
As a book lover who obviously loves the library, the plot intrigued me right away. To me, getting trapped in a library sounds great, but I wouldn't want to be in the situation Autumn and Dax were in with no phone and little food. At first, I thought that being locked in a library sounded a little unrealistic, but the way it happened in the book made sense.
The whole "locked in the library" plot was actually only the first third of the book, which I wasn't expecting, but enjoyed. The rest of the book, once Autumn got out of the library, showed the aftermath of it and had more drama not related to her being in the library. I loved all the stuff with Dax and his mom, that was a really strong plot. The ways that it affected both the character of Dax individually as well as the relationship between Autumn and Dax kept the story interesting. The plot also wasn't too predictable. The reveal that Autumn was presumed dead and Jeff was in the hospital from a crash surprised me.
Autumn was a great main character. She was very likeable and relatable. I personally related to her in a few different ways. While I don't have an anxiety disorder, I overanalyze things all the time like Autumn, especially with emotions and relationships. I love Autumn's competitiveness with Dax in the library. I can be a very competitive person, too, so that's another way I relate to her. Autumn says in the book how she hardly ever goes to libraries, so that's a way we differ. I relate to Dax more in that aspect.
Dax's love for reading is the only way I relate to him. I have a great, happy home life and I'm a total extrovert. Despite him not being relatable to me personally, Dax was still a great character and I could empathize with him and really feel for him in everything he had gone through in his life. I liked how you were able to slowly learn more about his past as he started to open up to Autumn more.
Autumn and Dax's relationship was cute. They had a lot of chemistry and I loved their banter. They started off disliking/not caring about each other, but as they were the only two people in the library together, they had to keep each other company and grew closer. It was a kind of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers relationship. The first part of the book, especially, was filled with a lot of cute scenes between them, like them making up games to keep themselves entertained and sharing body heat to stay warm under Dax's sleeping bag. Autumn and Dax hug a lot, and my love language is physical touch, so all their hugs and kisses were so cute and made me feel warm and fuzzy.
This book also had a small love-triangle, as Autumn was working out her feelings for Jeff, the guy she had had a crush on for years and her feelings for Dax. Early on in the book, it seemed like Jeff was more of a contender, but as the book went on and Jeff unintentionally put Autumn in situations that made her panic and have anxiety attacks, I realized along with Autumn that Dax was a better match for her.
Now for a few things I didn't like about this book that prevent it from being a full 5 stars. First of all, the side characters. I love fully-fleshed out, round characters, even for the side characters. In the other two Kasie West books I've read, I knew more about the different side characters. I didn't see that in this book. Autumn had a group of friends she always hung out with, but I couldn't tell you anything about them individually. The girls all seem to have the same personality as each other, and it's the same with the boys. Even Autumn's best friend, Lisa, doesn't have much of a personality.
The other thing is that I would've liked more of the romance between Dax and Autumn. They officially start dating in the second to last chapter, and then the last chapter is pretty short and feels a little rushed. There was all the build-up of their relationship and then not much payoff.
In terms of age-appropriateness, I'd say young teens and up. All of Kasie West's books are clean, there's no bad language and nothing more than kissing. This book talks about a lot of heavy issues like neglect and drug-addiction, so if that's something that bothers you, keep that in mind with this book.
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