All I Need

Readers looking for light romance will enjoy Colasanti’s (Keep Holding On) depiction of a long-distance relationship that beats the odds, even before it’s officially a relationship. After meeting on the beach, Skye, a privileged high-school student, and Seth, a recent graduate whose father owns a failing roller rink, fall head-over-heels in love, but they part unexpectedly before exchanging contact information. A torturous year of separation ends with a reunion on the same beach, and it appears that distance has made the couple’s hearts grow fonder. They immediately make plans to visit each other on weekends while Seth attends college in Philadelphia. What follows is a fairly predictable account of tested passion as Skye and Seth overcome hurdles to stay together. Although the two characters are well-defined, what they have in common is as vague as their understanding of each other. Seth never unloads the emotional baggage he carries about his parents’ separation and his fears about his own future, while Skye remains preoccupied with concerns about her friends throughout most of the novel. Ages 12–up. (May)