Only a good author can turn a really really simple plot into a masterpiece. Everyone has more or less heard of this plot before - but what Harmon does is that she shows that sometimes, a good book is all in the delivery of the novel. 
 What I liked most is that the romance between the 2 protagonists is so ... unique. Focused more on friendship rather than physical intimacy, their romance succeeds in touching hearts in a different way which most of the books I have in the "porn" shelves fail to do. Their romance for each other is realistic and believeable - readers will understand, with utter conviction, that the love between Josie and Samuel will stand the test of time. 
 One thing that really really scared me with regards to the relationship between the two is that it exists in circumstances that seem so grey and morose. Like a candle in the darkness, their love for each other does not make their lives sweeter and more passionate, but rather, without it both of their live will just suck. Their companionship acts like a safety net, a preventive barrier from letting both of them to shrivel and wither due to them living apart. And even if they eventually get together (no spoilers here), their lives don't seem to necessarily take a turn for the better. Well, this is hat I got from reading this book, with the aid of my very limited and cynical interpretive mind. 
 The hardships and setbacks both all of the characters face here are pathetic and tear-gland-stimulating, highlighting what true altruism and heroism really is about. By the end of the book, nobody really knows whether the hardships are overcome - and for that I think that is what makes the book such a good standalone, for a second installment would kill the suspense and the poignancy. 
 On the whole, this book is a great read. Harmon must really really love Utah and what she does to come up with a novel portraying everything she says she is so passionate about.