Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn’s celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.
Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn’s last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn . . . and ruggedly good-looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn–but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences? (via Goodreads summary)
This book was a quick weekend read for me, and I absolutely loved it. Jessi Kirby’s writing seemed so heart-felt the whole time. The way Honor spoke about and remembered her brother, he seemed like the kind of guy everyone would want to be around.
Being a Texas girl myself, I felt Honor’s voice fit with her surroundings and background. She seemed like a good ol’ Texas girl with a big protective brother…the kind of brother every kid would love to have. I think the only issue that I have with the Texas things is that we don’t all wear boots all the time, and did she REALLY have to go to UT? (Just kidding. I went to Texas A&M, so I have to give the UT reference a hard time. ;))
It felt many times like the book was going to veer from the originaly purpose — a road trip to honor a dead brother’s last (joking) request — into a romance story about Honor and Rusty. However, while there were fleeting glances, a drunken night, and many sparks, I loved that the story did stay true to the purpose. Honor and Rusty share a closeness that is special to them, that is tied to Finn, and I’m glad that it didn’t need to be pushed to anything much more than that.
I saw on a couple of Goodreads reviews that some people compared Rusty to Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights. I can definitely get on board with that mentality!
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