Gap Life is full of twists and turns

Gap Life by John Coy
Feiwel and Friends
224 pages

Gap Life is a young adult novel written by John Coy. The protagonist is a guy named Cray who anyone who has gone through high school will be able to relate to. He has fought with his parents and does what anyone would do if they were in his situation by not going home much, being over dramatic and acting out. In this book, Cray just graduated high school and his parents want him to become a doctor or a surgeon. He doesn’t want that job and just doesn’t want his life to be controlled by his parents anymore. He is now trying to find out what he is going to do for his future.

Cray gets into the college his parents wanted him to go to, but he doesn’t want to pursue what they had in mind. He gets a job at a place where Rayne, a girl he is interested in, looks after adults with disabilities, but Cray soon finds out that she has another boyfriend in a different country.

This book grabbed my attention because it is full of surprises and kept me excited and on the edge of my seat the whole time. Cray’s parents seem very controlling and demanding, forcing him to become a doctor and go to the same university as everyone in his family. His mom is an easily recognizable type. His dad was not happy with him and he was yelling at him but his mom just wanted him to be home. This book left me still thinking what’s going to happen next in the book every day I read it. I just wanted to know if his parents were going to forgive him and start to understand what he wants. This book helps us to recognize common gender roles in parent-child relationships where the dad takes on a rougher role while the mom wants the child to be happy.

The book has a lot of twists and turns and is an emotional rollercoaster but it was a really fun read. Rayne and Cray’s relationship is just like high school relationships. In high school and when you’re a young adult, life can be difficult but you just gotta push through. I love how you can get really into this book and feel like you know the characters. Ryane has had a hard life, she has divorce parents but she is really smart and creative. She plays the role of the wise but confused girl who Cray falls for. Rayne is a damaged person with a damaged family. She thought of Cray as just a friend but he didn’t. I feel Rayne messed with Cray alot but she ends up being nice and understands what Cray wants. Rayne seems like she is a cool person but she tends to act out and sometimes it’s hard to know what she is thinking.

Every character in the book has a place in the story and you’re able to relate to them very well. I love how the book incorporates every character’s story and shows every side of them. I hope that Rayne and Cray were meant to be and become a couple and get married in the future. I rate this book an 8.5/10–it’s a great book and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good short read.