Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
Release Date: June 26, 2007
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 304
Source: Purchased copy
Rating: 
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository
There are two sides to every breakup.
This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They’re even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney — for a girl he met on the Internet.
It’s too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney’s heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la — this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he’s got a secret or two that he’s not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can’t get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other. – Goodreads
Review:
After really enjoying Lauren Barnholdt’s Sometimes It Happens, I was eager to read more of her works and, thankfully, Two-Way Street delivered with its goodness.
Once more, Barnholdt had alternating chapters to the past and present, this time from the POV of both her main characters, Jordan and Courtney. This format ended up working well for me because Barnholdt moved forward in each chapter; she didn’t waste time detailing the same exact event(s) from the perspective of each of her narrators.
The alternating timeline definitely helped in fleshing out the characters — Jordan in particular. Though it made for some amusing situations, his player tendencies made him a tad unlikable at the beginning. It was interesting to see the change in him once he begins to spend more time with Courtney, though. His sweeter side definitely came out! As for Courtney, she’s understandably cold to Jordan in the present but we’re allowed to see just how much she really misses him. Their interactions were the perfect mix of humorous, heartbreaking, and touching.
I was probably just having a slow moment, but the secret Jordan was holding onto took me by surprise. I didn’t see it coming! I would have liked to see more resolution to the situation, or at least have the characters discuss it further, but I’ll take what we got.
A bonus that this book had going for it were the side characters, Jocelyn and B.J. They were out of control! They weren’t super fleshed out or anything, but they made for some extra comedic relief while everything else was going down. I loved getting a peek into their antics and behavior and they made quite the contrast to our main duo.
Overall, Two-Way Street was a fun summer read with the right amount of humor and romance. I can’t wait to pick up the rest of Barnholdt’s books!
About Stephanie
I will have to check this one out. I really enjoy Lauren’s writing style.
Andrea @ Reading Lark
LOL, how funny. I read this book exactly for the same reason you did, because I finished Sometimes It Happened and I wanted to read another book from her. We’re like reading twins or something.
You nailed all of my reasons for why I liked this book, great review!
I’ve struggled to get through some of her other novels, but this one was particularly good. A great summer read, to me. Thanks for the review! :]
Never read anything from this author before. This one definitely sounds like a great summer read for sure! I always really enjoy alternating timeline stories.
I already got a copy of some of her other books … so I don’t know what I’m waiting for. I enjoyed this a lot more than Sometimes It Happens. Mostly because I loved hearing Jordan’s perspective.