Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Caleb was in the wrong place at the wrong time. His associate was selling drugs when the police caught them in the act. Caleb felt pretty unlucky. He had many secrets bottled up inside of him like that he crippled his girlfriend in a car accident while he was drunk. His transition councilor gave him a choice: either jail or a program for a group of kids whose lives have been affected by careless driving, called Re-Start. It was clear that the program was the better option rather than jail. When Caleb met the group, he discovered that his ex- girlfriend that he crippled was a part of the program by chance. Will Caleb ever face his past?

What I liked about this book is that the transition of the main characters portrays what is really going on inside of them (feelings) rather than judging the exterior. It displays them personally which makes the reader relate to the characters: Maggie and Caleb. What I didn’t like about this book is the simplicity making the book more interesting. This book should be more complex and abstract because this book is about a teenage love story. Since it is about love which is complicated, the book in turn should be abstract. A person that would like this book is a pre-teen that hasn’t fallen in love yet. This book will fascinate and attract them to it.

Reviewed by: Yohana Z

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