Let me start by saying that this book was not at all what I thought it would be. I expected a sappy love story, and had no problem with that. But the story evolves into a truly gripping tale of family, love and acceptance. More than anything, it brings to light that the choices you make - the choice to ridicule or bully, or the choice to turn away in apathy, may not seem huge to you. But your smile could mean so much to someone who is normally overlooked. And a helping hand could change lives.For the first 100 pages or so, I was a bit disappointed. I felt as if the writing was juvenile, and the story was just weird. I mean, here's this homeless guy who falls in love with a girl just because she smiles at him? And she starts to fall for him, too!? There are a few scenes that seemed like a high school drama written on paper. But then...oh, then...More players are introduced to the storyline. At first, you don't realize how much they will come to mean to you as a reader. Beckett and Cole are Blake's foster brothers from their parent-less days in the system. These boys have formed a bond nearly stronger than family. After all, you can't choose family. But they chose each other, although they are all three so very different. Through the years, their bond has become even stronger.Livia has noticed Blake at the Poughkeepsie train station for quite some time. She's a happy woman, and also kind and caring. She doesn't realize that each time she smiles at him, he's counting those smiles, storing them up even though he's never dreamed of having more from her. One day, the two finally meet when Livia overhears some punk teenagers planning on shaming the faceless homeless man. From there, it's as if every day of their lives was lived only so the two of them would meet. While Livia and Blake's story is the headliner, there are so many other things going on behind the scenes. Love and lust, betrayal and utter loyalty, but above all, life, and not only the utter beauty of having the ability to make your own choices but the power of affecting the choices of others. This is a story of such an unlikely group of young people, thrown together because of the love of two of them. It's so chaotic, but it also makes sense. And it proves that not all of the bad guys are all bad. Some of them just have tough choices to make.*********************************Please, PLEASE tell me there is a sequel to this! While the story of Blake and Livia feels resolved, there is another that left me aching. Any who have finished it knows who I mean. And I just hope so badly that the author plans to finish that story. Even a tiny novella? He/she deserves it!EDIT:What a ramble! I just reread my review. It doesn't even make sense to me! I'll just say this: I will remember this book. After two hundred more book plots and couples get in the way, I know I'll remember this story. It's extremely original, and an unexpected tearjerker. Beautiful story, even if you don't agree with decisions made by the characters.
