This is a story of friendship, family, and love. What would you give up for your best friend? Would you give up family? A chance at true love? Your future? These are the questions Annie is challenged with when her best friend Mo is going to be deported.

The story is told from dual points-of-view. I didn’t particularly love either main character, but out of the two I think Mo was my favorite. Mo was bitter and rough around the edges for a seventeen year old, but there were moments when his funny, sweet, or sensitive side would peek through and that is why I liked him. As for Annie, I don’t know why but I felt disconnected from her and her emotions. I really admired her commitment to Mo and their friendship, I just wasn’t able to connect with her on an emotional level.

Overall this isn’t your average contemporary romance. This is a story that deals with racism, deportation, friendship, family, grief, but most of all it’s a story about love, in all it’s different forms.

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING BELOW: I HAD TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY READ IT.


The thing I didn’t like about the ending was that I felt like Annie was deciding between Mo and Reed. I totally would have understood Annie changing her mind about marrying Mo for not wanting to upset her family, not wanting to give up art school, those were all legit reasons. I just didn’t like feeling like she gave him up for Reed. I mean her and Mo had been best friends since they were ten. She barely knew Reed, yes she thought it was love but was it really? He was only there for the summer and then he’d be going back to college and what then? ( )

Loved, loved, loved this book! Fresh and unpredictable, and deliciously satisfying. ( )

Okay, so I read the synopsis for The Vow on Pulseit and was REALLY excited to read it (you can actually read the entire novel now through the 27th for free!). As I was reading, I found it enthralling and altogether a compelling read–the relationships between the characters and the tragedies and the twists really hooked me. But as the story went on, I realized that what I hoped would happen was not actually how it was going to end. Sometimes I will initially find myself disappointed in a book as a whole, when really it just didn’t end how I necessarily expected it to, even though the book itself was truly well-written (a trait I’m desperately working to remedy, trust me). I’m all for pleasant surprises, but this seemed like an abrupt and unfair ending to the book. But then the more I look at it, maybe that was part of the point of the ending–throughout the book I kept coming across the theme that life isn’t fair, and that you can’t always live for everyone else–you matter. So yes, it was a slight bummer that the story didn’t wrap up like I thought it would, and it seemed a little unresolved, but all in all it was an enticing read and I did enjoy it–and yes, I would still recommend you read it, fair follower (or random, stumble-upon stranger). With all that taken into account, I’d give it a fair 3.8/5 stars ;) ( )

My Summary: Mo and Annie have been inseparable since the day she rescued him from an embarrassing pants-peeing incident on a school fieldtrip in grade school. But the thing is, all they've ever been is friends. Best friends - nothing more and nothing less, despite what the citizens of their tiny southern town may think. The two are comfortable in their platonic relationship, and know that as long as they have each other, everything will be alright.

But when Mo's dad looses his job and his work visa, things take a turn for the worst. With their imminent separation looming, Annie suggests something crazy: she and Mo get married secretly so that he won't be deported.

They go through with the plan, but soon discover that married life is anything but bliss. Can their friendship survive the strain (and the government investigation into their marriage), or will Mo have to return to Jordan?

My Thoughts: This was definitely one of those books that makes you stop and think. The premise itself made me wonder: could I ever do what Annie did, even for my best friend? The unique take on what it means to love someone really got me thinking, and the situation the characters found themselves in was both realistic and horrible.

Mo and Annie were incredibly well-developed characters. Each had their own distinct personality, but they were similar in a way that never made you doubt they were best friends. I also really enjoyed the view on platonic friendships between two best friends of the opposite sex - it reminded me a little of When Harry Met Sally in the way that it was very realistic and didn't make you think that the sole purpose of the friendship was a stepping stone to a relationship.

Martinez's writing was easy to follow and pulled me right in from the first page. Her dialogue was witty and clever, and the way she transitioned from Annie's chapters to Mo's chapters was very smooth and kept me hooked. The plot was always engaging and well paced, and I never felt like there was a lull.

Final Thoughts: I recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of contemporary YA as well as realistic fiction & romance. I'll definitely be checking out more from the author in the future! ( )