The Turning Point - Marie Meyer

It doesn't happen often, but I am just going to let this review speak for itself. I loved this book!

Rating: 4 Stars
Published: Today! January 12, 2016
Many thanks to Netgalley and Forever Yours for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Sophia has had enough grief and surprise in her life, after giving up the girl she used to be she's determined to become a doctor. When her MIA dad asks to speak to her, she goes at the urging of her mother and nonna. She doesn't expect a wheelchair and she certainly doesn't expect to find out that she too could have the same terminal illness. When her father hands her an all expenses paid trip to Italy, where she can meet her family who still resides there, Sophia is ready to say no. After some poking and prodding, she gives in, trying to see the good in a 6-week Italian trip and delaying her med school future. There she meets Lucas, good looking secret-keeping Lucas. Sophia experiences emotions she hadn't ever planned to feel, for once she's considering more than just herself. Everything related to her future lies in a little white envelope, if only she can face all her fears.

Can I have Sophia has every main character in every book? She's a real girl! She's dealing with real life issues! Oh thank heavens for a book that feels like reality. I loved Sophia, from the get go. She's pretty but not perfect, smart but for a sad reason, and stubborn because of "fucking life." There was a moment when I was maybe a quarter of the way through this book and realized I wasn't reading just another cliche novel, no, this was new adult romance done right. Sophia is dealing with a heavy dose of reality when she finds she too could have the life altering disease that will soon consume her father. She has a mother and a nonna who are literally the best family members ever and who push her to do something they know is right for her in the long run. She stumbles and grumbles her way to Italy only to find it is really just what she needed. I don't care what anyone says, if you think it's impossible to be angry about a vacation you are wrong, I have so done this! Then enters Lucas, the good looking man with mood swings that becomes only the best travel companion ever. As individuals they're dealing with personal life in their own ways, but their instant attraction makes them both open up slowly to one another. Their relationship, the kind of friendship with a slowly growing flirtationship, is so what I picture (and have experienced) from traveling at a young age on your own. I loved their adventures together, how both break out of their mold to try something so new. There was character development, super realistic situations and reactions from both characters, and there was attraction that felt oh so right in the heat of Italy.

Let's talk a bit about books that blow you away, that take you completely by surprise and suck you in. The Turning Point was this book for me. It wasn't on my list of highly anticipated new releases, it wasn't even a book I was super excited about, but it should have been. While I just enjoyed the synopsis, this book is so so much more. The writing in this novel is phenomenal, there hasn't been a book where I felt like I knew the main character like this in a very long time. The dialogue is perfect and the running inner monologue made me feel like I was the main character at times. Plus, every detail is described perfectly, it was never over done or not enough. And Italy? I feel like I've been there now. Mix that in with personal tragedy, self reflection, and first love and you have a pretty perfect NA romance novel. It was sweet, it was satisfying, it was at times smutty, and even a bit dramatic. I highly recommend The Turning Point to readers who enjoy romance of any kind. While I would categorize it as a New Adult novel, I think it could easily fall into the adult category as well.