Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie [Review]

Synopsis

Life sucks for orphans Callum Tate and Harper Bailey.

Kicked out of their foster homes because they suffer the ‘eighteen disease’ with nothing but a hundred-dollar check from the government and a pat on the back, they’re forced to rely on a system that failed them miserably.

So they sit. They sit inside Social Services, waiting for their social workers to call their names and offer them the miracle they know will never come but they sit anyway because they have nowhere else to go, no other options on their very literal and figurative empty plates.

But as they sit, they notice the other. Although captivated, they each come to the conclusion that life is complicated enough without throwing in a boiling tension that can’t ever be acted upon because they’re both too busy thinking about where their next meal will come from but when their names are called and both are placed on a year-long waiting list for permanent housing, suddenly relying on each other seems like a very viable plan B.

And, oh, how lovely Plan B’s can be.

Well, except for the psycho from Harper’s past that haunts her and, oh, yeah, there’s the little issue that neither of them knows they’re in love with the other.

Needless to say, Callum & Harper’s life just got a bit more complicated.

Review

Right.  It’s safe to say, I’m a sucker for books that feature friendship in adversity, whether it be a new one, as in this book: Callum & Harper by Fisher Amiele. or an existing friendship as in Sophie and Carter by Chelsea Fine.

So, after reading the synopsis I was quite easily convinced to give Callum & Harper one a go. I was still surprised just how strong a story Fisher Amiele gives us. Yes, the “they don’t know they are in love” part is stretched out passed the point of eye-rolling in to annoyance at times but everything else is just so good.

The characters of Callum and Harper, are as fully realised as any I’ve read this year. Likeable, strong, resourceful and complex. You want to know them, like them and wish them well. Their back stories don’t just exist for the first few pages, so that they can sit and meet in that Social Services office, they continue to play an integral part, both in the plot, and how they handle what is thrown at them.

As well as enjoying the characters of  Callum & Harper, I also enjoyed meeting their circle of friends they were fun people to spend time with. Fisher Amiele also does a really good job of portraying their world as well. I fell in love with their first flat together *spoiler* and was gutted when they had to leave it, not going to say how, but it’s real punch to the gut… *spoiler*.

It’s also much more than just a ‘friendship in adversity’ story, or even a romance, because Callum & Harper is also a bloody tense thriller as well. I don’t want to spoilt it for you, because it is much better to let the story roll out as you are reading it. But suffice it to say something from their past threatens not only their happiness, but potentially either or both of their lives.

Even though I thought I might enjoy Callum & Harper, I was still surprised by just how much I did.

Rating

[xrrgroup][xrr label="Characters:" rating="5.5/6" group="s1" ] [xrr label="Plot:" rating="5/6" group="s1"] [xrr label="Writing:" rating="4.5/6" group="s1"] [xrr label="Just One More Page:" rating="5/6" group="s1"] [xrr label="Overall:" overall=true group="s1" ][/xrrgroup]

Buy: Callum and Harper by Fisher Amelie