*REVIEW* The Vow

Synopsis:

No one has ever believed that Mo and Annie are just friends. How can a guy and a girl really be best friends?

Then the summer before senior year, Mo’s father loses his job, and by extension his work visa. Instantly, life for Annie and Mo crumbles. Although Mo has lived in America for most of his life, he’ll be forced to move to Jordan. The prospect of leaving his home is devastating, and returning to a world where he no longer belongs terrifies him.

Desperate to save him, Annie proposes they tell a colossal lie-—that they are in love. Mo agrees because marrying Annie is the only way he can stay. Annie just wants to keep her best friend, but what happens when it becomes a choice between saving Mo and her own chance at real love?

I was really excited to read The Vow, but that excitement quickly turned to disappointment as the beginning of this book was very slow and frankly, a little boring. Thankfully, the end redeemed the book quite a bit and it ended up being a decent read. I rated The Vow 3 of 5 stars on Goodreads.

The Vow introduces us to Annie, a teenage girl living a smothered existence due to her parents and their extreme overprotectiveness. Lena, Annie's older sister, disappeared on an ordinary walk home and the fallout from that event has shaped Annie's and her parents' lives in many ways. The one amazing thing in Annie's life, other than her art, is Mo, her best friend. Mo's family is from Jordan but Mo has lived in America his whole life... that is, until his father loses his job, and his work visa, and the entire family must leave the country or face deportation.

Annie comes up with the perfect plan-- her and Mo will get married, enabling him to stay in the country he loves. Unfortunately for the friends, this is not as simple of a plan as they originally thought. Legal issues force Annie to hurt those she loves the most, including the new boy in her life. Friendship, loyalty, legality and more collide in this tale by Jessica Martinez.

Like I said before, the beginning of this book is SLOOOOOOOW. I knew the premise from the synopsis and it felt like we were just NEVER going to get there! But mid-way through, the book picks up some steam and things get very, very interesting. I'm glad I stuck it out because to be honest, I was about to call it as a DNF about 100 pages in. I'm glad I didn't because it ended up being a decent book that I think many people will end up enjoying. You just have to stick with it through it's snail-pace beginning.

To see for yourself, snap it up when it becomes available mid-October. Enjoy! And as always, HAPPY HAPPY READING! *XOXO*

Expected publication date: October 15, 2013 by Simon Pulse