3.75 out of 4 stars.

“Welcome to New York, we have been waiting for you”

Evan is a humble and handsome Canadian hockey player that received a chance to play at Yale. Julia is a pretty and wealthy girl from Boston who also understood Yale was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. Although, they do not have much in common they fall in love and plan to start a life together in New York City after graduation.

Evan is always concerned with how to stay away from returning home to his mediocre lifestyle so he immediately takes a job at top Fiance firm, Spire,  in hedge funds despite not knowing anything about the workload (ruthless hours of 8 AM to past midnight). His determination to succeed trumps the rest.

Julia is used to an easier path with everything being given to her pretty much laid out. She assumes the same will be in NYC in terms of job, friends, and love. This remains true (somewhat) for job and friends but falls flat in the love category.

They both to start realize just how much they need to prove to themselves they can triumph on their own before they can really consider a forever between the two. Unfortunately, this lesson isn’t learned until the FBI gets involved with a money lies within Spire.

A coming of age novel written by someone my age (29) so right up my alley in terms of inspiration. I kept forgetting that Pitoniak is a debut author, since her writing was so wonderful. I suppose Yale undergraduates really are all they are cracked up to be! I am not sure anyone older than me would find this storyline as endearing because it is true to the age period that it speaks to. I felt the emotions of confusion and hope were more of what this writing focused on besides the actual captivating plot.

For some reason I was reminded of “My Salinger Year” and “Girls in White Dresses” while reading this. If you liked either of those, I bet you would enjoy this one.