Romancing the Dark in the City of Light, by Ann Jacobus

Romancing the Dark in the City of Light, by Ann Jacobus.

Release Date: 10/6/15.

"A troubled teen, living in Paris, is torn between two boys, one of whom encourages her to embrace life, while the other—dark, dangerous, and attractive—urges her to embrace her fatal flaws.

Haunting and beautifully written, with a sharp and distinctive voice that could belong only to this character, Romancing the Dark in the City of Light is an unforgettable young adult novel.

Summer Barnes just moved to Paris to repeat her senior year of high school. After being kicked out of four boarding schools, she has to get on track or she risks losing her hefty inheritance. Summer is convinced that meeting the right guy will solve everything. She meets two. Moony, a classmate, is recovering against all odds from a serious car accident, and he encourages Summer to embrace life despite how hard it can be to make it through even one day. But when Summer meets Kurt, a hot, mysterious older man who she just can't shake, he leads her through the creepy underbelly of the city-and way out of her depth.

When Summer's behavior manages to alienate everyone, even Moony, she's forced to decide if a life so difficult is worth living."

Romancing the Dark in the City of Light, was a difficult book for me. It was a love/hate relationship, where I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue reading it, or if I wanted to lay it down.

I found myself struggling through the first 100 pages, and didn't really find myself interested in the story or the characters. I just didn't understand what the point of the story truly was. Those 100 pages basically entailed a teenage girl struggling with life. Her dad had just passed away a year ago, while her mother works a lot and isn't around often. She doesn't really have close friends, due to being kick out of four different schools, and usually picking the wrong crowd to be around anyways. She's lonely, and lost.

Reading the synopsis to this book, what else would you expect? The synopsis never once mentions the alcohol addiction Summer is struggle with, or the suicide she is contemplating. It never once mentions that the handsome stranger she meets, tries to actually talk her into committing suicide. None of that arises in the synopsis, and honestly it's a shame.

With this vague synopsis, and 100 pages of not much going on, I was ready to give up on this book. Nothing was pulling me towards it and I was starting to wonder if I was wasting my time...but deciding to push on through, I couldn't believe what this book was hiding in it's last 150 pages or so.

This story is so much more than a struggling teenager, or a troubled family. This story is so much more than high school, finding a boyfriend, or even Paris. This book is powerful, this book is meaningful, this book is vital.

The topics discussed in Romancing the Dark in the City of Light, is something a lot of people are dealing with and trying to overcome; alcoholism, depression, and suicide. This story takes you through the entire thought process of someone facing these issues, and ultimately overcoming them.

Hidden behind this bland synopsis, this contemporary romantic cover, and the cute title, is a powerful story, that everyone should read. It's filled with situations, incidents, and actions, we shouldn't ignore. It teaches us, that we should be more aware of friends, family and loved ones. And ultimately, that we shouldn't ignore things that don't "seem right", by simply brushing them off.

Romancing the Dark in the City of Light, reminds us that we need to be there for our loved ones, because that's what they are. We need to grateful, appreciative, and caring towards them every single day...because you don't know when it's their last or yours.

Overall, I fell in love with Romancing the Dark in the City of Light, and want to thank Ann Jacobus for reminding me what to do, and reminding me that life is so much more than these small meaningless struggles I face every day.

If you have the opportunity to pick up this book, I recommend doing so.