It Wasn't Always Like This by Joy Preble

It Wasn't Always Like This by Joy Preble was the first book on my list. I picked it up from the library two days ago and have already buzzed through it. It's 245 pages long and considered "Epic and addictive." by #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia.

And indeed it is in fact epic and addictive. It starts out slow and jumps around alot from one time period to the other because, well, let's admit it... The Fountain of Youth is involved here.

The summary is this:
In 1916, Emma O'Neill is frozen in time. After sampling an experimental polio vaccine brewed on a remote island off St. Augustine, Florida, she and her family stio aging- as do the Ryans, her family's business partners. In a way this suits Emma fine because she is in love with Charlie Ryan. Being seventeen forever with him is a dream. But soon a group of religious fanatics, the Church of Light, takes note. Drinking the elixir has made the O'Neills and Ryans impervious to aging but not to murder - Emma and Charlie are the only ones who escape with their lives.
On the run, Emma is tragically separated from Charlie. For the next hundred years, she plays a cat-and-mouse game with the founding members of the Church of Light and their descendents. Over the years, a series of murders- whose victims all bear more than a passing resemblence to her- indicate that her enemies are closing in. Yet as the danger grows, so does Emma's hope for finding the boy she's certain is still out there...

This story is a mixture of light suspense, mystery, romance and fantasy. It's really interesting and though, like I said, it's difficult to read at times because you're bouncing back and forth through a couple different time zones, if you keep track of the time periods then it gets easier. Overall, a really good book.
There is some language here and there throughout as well as sex before marriage, so just a heads up. But there are no sex scenes so compared to what I've read before, it's clean. Whew.

I really liked the mystery and learning how Emma has figured out how to live under the radar. And while she may be the main character of the story, about halfway through there are a couple chapters dedicated to Charlie and a couple other characters that allow you a glimpse of what they have been doing this whole time. The book spans about a hundred years from the time Emma and Charlie and their families drink a tea that's supposed to protect them from small pox and realize that it actually gave them immortality.

There's one character I wasn't really sure I agreed with how the author presented him. He was dismissed very quickly in the end and it felt rushed. But overall, it was really well written.

It's a really good book and I am definitely planning to reread.