Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah 
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 Seven years ago, Jude's younger sister drowned in a swimming pool while he was supposed to be watching her. Life hasn't been the same since. His mother spends most of her time holed up in her bedroom. His father seems indifferent and oblivious. The house is kept dark and lonely. 
 The book opens up to Jude going in for his first day on a summer job. He lives in a beach town, so this job is at a concession stand right on the beach. He'll be flipping burgers, selling drinks & snacks with the best of 'em. He's also about to make some new friends and fall in love for the first time. 
 Life couldn't be better, until one night, everything is ruined. A tragic car accident that results in the death of someone very close to Jude sends him into a downward spiral of depression and anger. 
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 I liked this book. It definitely did not wow me. 
 CAUTION!! Ranting ahead... and some mild spoilers! 
 I disliked the main character. Jude was just, I don't know, irrational or something. He falls in love with Becka almost immediately. They share a couple smiles and one 15 minute conversation and he's head over heels? Then, when he thinks that Becka might like him, he finds her sitting in some guys lap while they are out one night and he totally flips out. He acts as if they are dating or even married. They hang out but a few times, and it was just as friends. She flirts with another guy and he feels like he has the right to be angry with her? Like she is his woman and she's some cheating hussy or something? After he sees her with the other guy (the story is written in third person omniscient, for the record): 
 "Boy meets girl, girl rips heart out of boy's chest, feasts on his entrails." 
 -- Erm, seriously? Dramatic much? Overreaction much? Assume much? Becka sends a few smiles his way, hangs with him once or twice and his heart is ripped out?! That screams freakish stalker to me. I just did not like how he reacted to the situation. Then, later on in the book after the car accident, he acts like the biggest asshat on the planet. He treats Becka, his oh-so-coveted Becka, like complete crap. I wanted to slap him around at every turn. 
 Annnnd, end rant. 
 One more thing I didn't like was just the fact that the book was a little mundane. It lacked action and emotion. It wasn't a bad book, not at all. It was good, but not really memorable. 
 I enjoyed the author's writing style. He has a way with words. The intro was really beautiful and intriguing. It was the perfect opener to the book and, I have to say, my favorite part of the entire novel. 
 While I may not have enjoyed Jude, I did enjoy his friends. Corey and Vinnie were both great. So was his co-worker Roberto (sort of obnoxious, but in a charming way). They were all a lot of fun and added a lot to the story. Corey and Jude are best friends and I liked the dialogue between the two. Their relationship was inspiring and really beautiful. I think the author did a wonderful job in showing us how close they were. 
 There was a sort of edge-of-your-seat quality to the book. You know there is going to be a car wreck at some point, but you don't know when, where, or who. You know someone dies, but nothing else. You don't know who is driving or anything. At numerous points throughout the book there are car rides with the correct number of people in the vehicle and I had to keep wondering... is this the moment? It was really well done and I think added a bit of mystery and thrill to the book. 
 Overall, I liked Before You Go. It's not a jaw-dropper or an eye-opener, really, but it's good and could potentially be very moving to the right person. The protagonist is a pain in the butt in my opinion, but again, to the right person he could be great. The romance aspect was off and so was some of the dialogue. The supporting characters were a whole lot of fun and the novel moves at a super-fast pace. I'd say it's a great beach read! 
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 Book source: NetGalley 
 Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group