A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery

A Million Miles Away is a heartbreaking but awesome story. I’m so glad to have read it, even though I knew from the synopsis that there would be quite a bit of sad parts. The author has a knack for capturing the raw feelings of the character, including feelings of grief, anger, loss, guilt, betrayal, and love. Kelsey Maxwell and her sister, Michelle, may be identical twins, but that is about all they have in common. Michelle is artistic and spends her time being creative and quiet. Kelsey is a dancer who enjoys being the life of the party with her boyfriend and friends. Michelle is pretty tight lipped about any romantic interests, especially to her twin sister. Kelsey happens to meet Michelle’s current boyfriend, Peter, the weekend he is due to be deployed to Afghanistan. Tragically, Michelle is in a fatal car accident on her way home from the airport, leaving behind Kelsey and her parents to pick up the pieces. No one in the family but Kelsey knows about Peter, and she has no way to find him to tell him about Michelle. One day she happens to see a Skype call coming in from Peter (meant for Michelle, of course) and she picks it up. Talking to Peter (as her sister) somehow helps her cope with her grief and sadness, and seems to help Peter get through the stressful days in battle in Afghanistan. She plans to tell Peter the truth, but finds herself falling for him and soon she cannot bear to break his heart. As you can imagine, such a sticky situation cannot end well. The author did a great job of ending the book, however, without tying everything in a neat little bow. I would highly suggest this book for teens and adults alike. It’s a very sweet story which shows that even from a tragedy, love can and will endure. I’m a big fan.