Lexi Baill has lived her entire life in foster care, bouncing from family to family while her drug addict mother bounced in and out of prison. Finally, when she is fourteen, her social worker discovers a relative they did not know about. Lexi goes to live with her great aunt Eva in Seattle, WA, and despite their poor financial situation and Lexi's apprehension, she finally feels like she has a family.
Mia and Zach Farraday, on the other hand, have grown up under completely different circumstances. As twins raised by a surgeon father and a helicopter mother, Mia and Zach have known nothing but love, trust, and financial security. Their mother, Jude, has spent their entire lives chaperoning, baking, throwing parties, and providing a wonderful life for her children.
However, high school brings changes for the twins. While Zach has always been outgoing and popular, Mia is shy, awkward, and incredibly alone. That is until she meets Lexi Baill. Lexi befriends Mia and they become inseparable. Relieved that Mia finally has a friend, Jude invites Lexi into their family and begins to love her like a daughter.
At the start of their senior year, Zach and Lexi discover a relationship that they had never had before. Together with Mia, the three of them spend their final year of high school having fun, falling in love, and planning for their futures. But just a few short days before graduation, tragedy strikes. When the kids are involved in a fatal drunk driving accident, life changes for everyone. Night Road follows Jude and the survivors as they grieve, try to heal, and finally, try to forgive.
I thought that this book was phenomenal. From the very beginning, it was easy for me to relate to Mia and Lexi. I know what it is to have such a strong female friendship, and I was constantly placing my best friend and I in their shoes. From singing Disney songs to drinking at a party, their friendship was extremely relatable.
Oddly enough, I was also able to relate to Jude. Although I am not a mother, (if my relationship with my younger brother is any indicator), I am going to be extremely protective when the time comes.
The story was also incredibly heart wrenching. I grew so attached to the characters that parts of it actually broke my heart. When I wasn't reading, I still thought about the book, the characters, and what was going to happen next. The idea of a drunk driving accident is absolutely terrifying, but it's something that we choose not to think about. Night Road forces you to think about it as you place yourself in their situation and realize how quickly your world could shatter.
I also loved how unpredictable the book was. Just by reading the cover I knew that there was going to be an accident and there was going to be death, and I assumed that I would be able to easily predict how it went. I was completely wrong.
I honestly don't think that there is anything that I didn't like about Night Road. There were times that I began to dislike Jude, but even in those instances I thought of her situation and all that she was going through, and I pushed those feelings aside. As I said, the characters were very relatable and they really came to life.
I would absolutely recommend Night Road, and began to before I was even through. It was a fantastic book with an incredible story line, realistic characters, and a great message. It is one of those books that will stay with you even after you've finished.
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