Crossroads (Love Will)

*** If you have not read the Choisie series, this review may contain mild spoilers.Lori Otto recently set a goal for herself. She wanted to write and publish a short story about Will Rosser in just two weeks. It’s a goal she not only met, but even surpassed! Crossroads is a 22,000-word post-Choisie series novella about the older of Jon Scott’s two half-brothers. Many of the characters you already know and love from the Choisie series star in this mature young adult novella because it ties in with the series.For those who have not already read Lori Otto’s Choisie series, I’ll share some background information about Will and his family. Will has an older half-brother named Jon Scott and a younger brother named Max. Their single mother is an alcoholic. Because the three brothers don’t have a father figure in their life, Jon took on the role as man of the house. Jon has made an effort to be available for his brothers over the years and, more recently, in between college classes and his internship. Jon attended baseball games and provided advice for his siblings. He encouraged them to watch over their mother and to study hard so they will be successful in life. As Jon grew older, he groomed Will to take over his role as the man of the house.After their mother was arrested, she was forced to face her alcoholism. She moved their family from Manhattan to Utah so they could all be together while she was able to get the help she needed. Will lived in Utah for a year and a half, including his entire sophomore year of high school. At the end of the school year, Will had to leave his best friend and his first love behind to move back to Manhattan with his family.In Crossroads, we learn that Will has planned a weekend trip to Utah over the summer break to visit his girlfriend, Laila and his best friend, Landry. It’s a trip he has planned so that he can say goodbye to Laila. Will is at a crossroads in his life. He is very much in love with Laila, but he knows he needs to say goodbye. Will and Laila both understand this visit will be the end of their relationship, and, although Will doesn’t realize it, his life will be changed in more ways than one.Although Will’s character does play more of a role in Dear Jon, he really doesn’t get a lot of page time in the rest of the Choisie series. What I enjoyed the most about Crossroads is getting to know Will as a character and seeing his character develop throughout the novella. Crossroads is not a long story, but readers will definitely see him experience some changes in his life. Like his brother Jon, I just fell in love with his character. Will is smart. He loves physics. He has an extreme passion for music. Not only does he love music, but we are able to see the beginnings of something special. Will just might be a musical prodigy.I don’t think it is absolutely necessary for someone to have read the Choisie series before reading this novella. If you have not read any novels by Lori Otto, Crossroads might be a great introduction to her writing. I found Crossroads intriguing, and I absolutely want to read more about Will Rosser! In my opinion, Crossroads is a solid 5-star novella!

I feel lucky. I truly do. To have found this amazing author and her books, well... Yeah. This novella was everything I thought it would be and more. I mean, with Lori you ALWAYS get more than you hope for. She's good like that!I have to say I ADORED this book, even if it was way too short, I loved every single page. I fell in love with Will when I got to know him in Dear Jon. He was a kid, yes, but he was like no other. Well, maybe a bit like Jon, and you know how much I love Jon. Ok, back to Will. While I was reading Dear Jon, I kept thinking, this kid knows, and what he doesn't know, he does everything to figure it out. He's a science boy. Everything has to have an explanation. He was a little boy then, but he's a sixteen year old boy now. I've always wanted a book for Will. He may be one of my favorite characters so I was well beyond excited when Lori announced this novella.So, Crossroads tells the story of Will, who's now a teenager, a teenager whose heart has been wronged way too many times to count, and now those things are shaping him to be skeptical towards the world. When he left Utah to go back to NY with his mom and brothers, he was leaving behind a big part of his life, and his heart. He'd met Laila, a sweet and good girl, with whom he had been going out for a year. He loved her. She loved him. They needed to say goodbye to her the proper way, so he went back to Utah for a weekend. Everything he'd hope to happened did, and then, everything went down the hole.There are some things I love about a character and a story, and Lori seems to know them all by heart. I loved that I had a glimpse of a different side of Will, a vulnerable side. It was short, but I saw it, and confirmed what I've always known. His feelings run deep. Too deep for a sixteen year old boy. But again, too many people have let them down. And I wish I could fix that for him. He's such a good guy, and he has the potential of being big, of getting far. And I know he will. I just can't wait for him to share all that with someone who appreciates him. He reminds me now of Nate. (Yes, I always come back to Nate).The story was perfect, even though it was short. It left me wanting, needing, hoping for more, and I just can't wait. Lori exceeds at writing. She describes situations and feelings in a way that gets you thinking and feeling and living everything. If that's not an AMAZING author, I don't know what is. I read somewhere today that she doesn't write words, she writes emotions, and I couldn't agree more.Make sure to add Crossroads to your TBR and get it AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT. Okay? Perfect