**#COYER Review ~ Puddle Jumping ~ Amber L. Johnson**

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Puddle Jumping
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Genre: Mature Young Adult/New Adult
Source: I purchased an ecopy via Amazon
Rating: 5 Bookworms

Synopsis
When it comes to love there's no such thing as conventional.

Everyone thinks Colton Neely is special.

Lilly Evans just thinks he's fascinating.

Once friends when they were younger, their bond is cut short due to her accident prone nature and they go their separate ways. Years later, they meet again and Lilly learns that there is something special about the boy she once knew, but she has no idea what it all means. And she's not sure if she's ready to find out.

When he walks through the corridor of her school the first day of her senior year, she knows that it's time to get to know the real Colton Neely. The more she learns, the deeper she falls.

Their friendship grows into love, even as Colton does not express it in words. But one decision threatens to break down the world that Lilly has tried so hard to integrate into and she must figure out if the relationship can survive if they are apart.

I one-clicked this book after reading a review from Courtney @The Bookish Babe. From Courtney's review, I knew Puddle Jumping was going to be fantastic and tug at my heartstrings. But I don't think I was prepared for just how much emotion I felt while reading it. There's no way I can do this story justice, but here's my attempt.

It's hard to put into words what Puddle Jumping is about, so I'm going to use some quotes to help me.

"A  true friend is one soul in two bodies."-Aristotle

And it seems as though Lilly and Colton were of one soul. 

"...I'm Lilly Grace Evans and this is the true account of how I ended up falling for a boy who made me believe love is anything but conventional.Love, for those lucky enough to experience it, is extraordinary."

At its heart, Puddle Jumping is an extraordinary love story. But I think it's is about more than just Lilly and Colton. It makes us examine our perceptions of those different from us. It is thought-provoking. 

"Society has pretty much taught us that it's inside the lines, or outside. But there's so much more in between."-Lilly

Seeing how both Lilly and Colton are affected by having known one another was incredible. Lilly's desire to become a better person because of having met Colton was endearing. Watching as they struggled to have a relationship that worked for them both was as well. These two were meant for each other. And I will admit that I ugly-cried over the beauty of their story.

I'm being purposefully vague about this story. You need to experience it without my having laid out much about it. My thoughts upon completion? Wow. Just wow. Puddle Jumping was such a powerful read - so moving - so thought-provoking. I'm not even sure what to say about it. If I had to distill it, I'd say it's about how we're all different and yet we're all the same. Our differences are what makes us who we are - and we're all beautiful.