Tonight the Streets Are Ours is one of those books that is so realistic that it can make you feel a bit nostalgic for your lost teenage years one second, but in the next it reminds you just how much of a bitch those years actually were. This novel isn’t a romance, it’s a very realistic look at what it’s like to be a seventeen-year-old girl who chooses to take care of everyone that she loves, and it certainly isn’t very happy or pretty at times.
Arden Huntley knows that her place in the world is to be the best friend and family member that she can be, whether it’s just supporting her school musical actor boyfriend while he does the audition circuit, runs her younger brother to his basketball games, or takes the fall for her best friend Lindsey’s bad judgement calls. It’s just what Arden has been taught to do, but when she finally realizes that these relationships aren’t as two dimensional as she’d like, she googles “Why don’t people love me as much as I love them?” And this simple search leads her to New York teenager Peter’s blog, Tonight the Streets Are Ours. Peter posts about his missing brother, his on-again/off-again relationship with Bianca, and his difficult relationship with his unsupportive rich parents. Arden feels like she gets to know Peter and sympathizes with him, and on a whim when she’s finally had enough, Arden and her best friend Lindsey set off on a trip to New York City to find Peter. But will Arden find that Peter is everything that she read in his blog or will she be disappointed?
Arden’s role model of love is her mother–the woman who gave everything of herself to her husband and children until she had nothing left to give and snapped, walking away on Arden’s dance night during the family dinner. Arden thinks that to love someone she should always protect them and do whatever she can to keep them happy and safe, even when that makes her unhappy in the process and leaves her feeling used up. Arden has her backstage work, but she doesn’t have anything else to do but be a good student, good friend, and support everyone else. As Arden meets up with Peter and they experience a wild night of parties, limo rides, and deep discussions, she starts to see that maybe everyone lies to themselves–especially when it comes to what they put out for the world to see.
I give Tonight the Streets Are Ours a four out of five. The character development was excellent, even during the slower paced first half of the book building up to Arden’s breaking point. This is such a realistic book that I didn’t enjoy the characters the entire time because they were too real, and real people are insensitive jerks that are out for themselves. But I have to applaud Leila Sales for capturing such a realistic picture of humanity, even if I was cringing and wanting to hide my eyes for the characters at different parts of the book. Overall, this is an entertaining read about a girl who needed to learn to give a bit less of herself while those who love her need to realize that they should reciprocate every now and then.
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So glad you enjoyed this one! I’ve been meaning to pick it up for a while, but kind of forgot about it. I can’t wait to experience Arden’s & Peter’s adventure together. Although I’m not sure how I’m going take the realistic nature of the book, I’m excited to pick the book up. Thanks for a great, honest review!
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I’m glad that my review of Tonight the Streets Are Ours reminded you about the book, Amanda. It’s a very enjoyable and relatable book, but like I said, it’s very realistic so there are parts that are a bit depressing since they are so realistic. I liked the book a lot, and I hope you enjoy it too.
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Great perspective, definitely didn’t don on me that the reality for the characters is something many people are dealing with. I really enjoyed this book.
– Krys
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