Title: Return to Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 1st, 2010
Publisher: Flux
Source: Library
Pages In This Edition: 302
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Number in Series: 2 (WARNING: There might be spoilers, as this is the second book.)

On the Cover:

Beyond the Cover:

Summary from Goodreads:

"Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.

Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She's determined to make a new life for herself.

But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie's accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them."
Review:

Return to Paradise is the follow-up to the first book about Caleb and Maggie; Leaving Paradise. (You can find my review of the first one HERE.)

I actually liked this book more than the first! It was a great read, and it added more layers to the already complex characters of Caleb and Maggie. Caleb especially; I felt like I really got inside his head, and Elkeles succeeds again with writing characters that are extremely believable. Maggie and Caleb are obviously in love, but all the history they have makes things complicated. And the ride was great.

The plot was probably the biggest improvement between this book and the first. While Leaving Paradise dragged a lot in the beginning, Return to Paradise jumps right into the action. I was instantly entertained. I enjoyed the story a lot, as well as the steamy romance, which was just as you would except a Simone Elkeles book to be!

The writing style alternates between Maggie and Caleb's POV. It's also written in first-person. (A style I really enjoy.) I feel that the writing style adds to the feeling that I really knew the characters.

Overall, Return to Paradise was an amazing continuation of Maggie and Caleb's story, and I would recommend it to any lover of YA romance. :)

--Alexis