REVIEW: Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

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.

Ooh. I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did. Told in alternating viewpoints of Courtney and Jordan, before the break-up, on the road-trip and after, it's filled with so much tension and misunderstandings. It pulled and pulled at my heartstrings.

Courtney's kind of uptight, with her schedules and everything in its place. And Jordan seems to be more relaxed and to go with the flow, but they worked as a couple, for four months, even going on sort of an intense trip together. Then Jordan dumps Courtney for a girl he met on the Internet. Now Courtney's parents have refused to let her buy a plane ticket to university, so instead she must face a road trip with Jordan up to Boston. Three days with her ex-boyfriend! It'll be fine, she just won't think about it. Only she can't help but think about Internet-girl and all the things that went wrong with hers and Logan's relationship. Plus there's the fact that she just made-out with her best friend that she's had a crush on forever.... Things aren't easy for Jordan either. He's keeping secrets of his own, secrets that he hopes Courtney will never find out about. Instead, he's feeling jealous of Courtney's new guy and guilty for breaking up with her.

Throughout the novel, there's just so much tension between the two of them. Each feeling jealous that the other has moved on. Maybe their relationship didn't mean as much to the other person? They can't even remember why the other wanted to be with them in the first place. And in between all this angsting, at least there's quirky best friends to provide a bit of comic relief.

From the cover, I was expecting the two to road-trip in a convertible. And then break-down somewhere. But neither happened. I'm not sure if that disappoints me, but I do love a road trip in a YA novel. Something always happens. You might know how this one ends, but getting there is pretty fun. Worth a read!

Have you read this or anything by Lauren Barnholdt? What do you think of road-trips?