Review of The Lonesome Young

Title: The Lonesome Young

Author: Lucy Connors

Series: will have a sequel

 

Chapters: 65 plus epilogue

Pages: 367

Genre: teen

The author’s website has a quote that says, “Romeo and Juliet meets Justified” and it fits. The Lonesome Young is that and more. To me it is a cross between Romeo and Juliet, Justified, and the Hatfields and McCoy. Ms. Connors has hit the nail on the head if you’re going to write a teen novel about teenagers in love and a family feud the best place to set the story is Kentucky. That’s exactly where Ms. Connors set the story, in what I believe happens to be a fictional town in Eastern Kentucky.

Though the novel is a work of fictional, it is easy for this Kentucky to girl to image something like this actually happening in the eastern part of my state. Because two star cross teens actually happened between two feuding families in the 1800s. Kentucky’ myths and legends lead to great ideas for novels and stories.

The Lonesome Young has it all; two teenagers who start to fall in love from families who haven’t gotten along in years. No one really knows exactly how the feud started. Each family the Rhodale’s and the Whitfield’s blame the other. The county’s named after the Whitfield’s who happen to be the richest family. The Rhodale’s fall on the wrong side of the law though there’s a good apple here or there in the family.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up the book, and I didn’t know if I would like it. But I did like it and I enjoyed reading it. There was some language and a few scenes that pushed the limits are the few warnings I have to give about the books.