This was readable, just. The book focused on the end of a close friendship between two girls, Kya and Grace. However, I wanted to smack their heads together on more than one occasion - Kya for bring such an inconsiderate, self-destructive brat, and Grace for being too weak to stand up for herself and not seeing Kya for who she really was. By the end I was fed up with both of them! ( )

Buds before studs. That's the motto that has been Grace and Kya's motto, they've been best friends for many years and share everything including their serious love of paintball. They've planned their future to include a future with college and playing paintball on a team.
But how much is too much to accept from a friend? Grace is always there for Kya, many times at a personal sacrifice but is Kya there for Grace in the same way? Because of Kya's history and their being best friends so long, Grace accepts actions and behaviours that are more and more hurtful and destructive. She has always made excuses for the things Kya has done until now when she's struggling to hold on to her best friend but knowing it isn't in her best interests. When is it okay to let go of a friendship? Sometimes we let history or other factors dictate the rules and losing a friend is hard; you have such a history of memories and swore you'd be bff's forever but (and I have to say I hated that whole but/butt thing and the amount of times someone gave the finger was getting old) sometimes you don't make it to forever. People change and grow, when friendships become one sided, or destructive, or dangerous, it's no longer the friendship it was and cutting ties altogether is often better. Grace's mother compared it to the death of a loved one and that there is a grieving process that follows, yet I think it's sometimes harder as that person is still around, it's hard to let to go of the hope that they will change or they will be back the way they used to be.
I really liked James, I would love a friend like him and while he may not get all he wants in a relationship with Grace, their friendship is more honest and sincere and I think realistically they could go from a threesome to two.
I also liked Grace's parents, down to earth and pretty cool parents but not too cool. They still had guidelines and rules Grace and her brother Indie were expected to follow and they had so much concern for what was happening in their children's lives.
This book is a pretty quick read, mostly the story of the friendship of Grace and Kya, with a little sweet romance thrown in. There is a lot of talk about paintball but not a lot of details that will bore the reader.
I have read a lot of Janet Gurtler's books and can say she is definitely one of my favourite teen/young adult authors. She's light on the romance with some very real and relevant issues. I have enjoyed them all. ( )

Review Coming Soon ( )

For some reason, I was really skeptical of Janet Gurtler’s books. This might just have been because the premise for the one where a girl killed a boy with a severe peanut allergy by kissing him is so absurd to me. This is a horrible reason, or maybe it’s not the actual reason. Anyway, Jenni (Alluring Reads) really liked How I Lost You, and we’re pretty close to brain twins on contemporary YA, so I went for it. Thank goodness for friends who push you into reading things, because How I Lost You was great, a rare YA novel focusing on friendship, family and the future more than romance.

Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions. ( )

Being in the front row sit watching your friendship of years crash and burn before your eyes sucks. I know, cause I’ve been there before. It was horrible and its something I don’t ever want o go through again. This is why I related to the book so much. It kept me in a constant state of obsession, just wanting to continue reading till the very last page.

Plot: Two friends, who have known each other forever. All it takes is one little change and BOOM! There it all goes. I enjoyed the way the author created such a solid life long relationship only to have it unravel piece by piece in front of the reader. The best part, I couldn’t stop it. As I watch each girl move away from each other, accuse each other, and turn there backs on each other, it kept me in my seat. This plot gives the reader a rare and probing plot that you fall into quickly.

Friendship/Boys: Both characters, Grace and Kya are two different girls. They are so different that I kept wondering what was holding their friendship together. Grace mostly followed Kya. Kya was in a league of her own. A strong, independent girl who is tough and kind be somewhat dangerous. Grace is a good girl who wants to go places. Kya gives her that push but she also holds Grace back. These girls also face drama with boys. Let’s just say in the end, I really dislike Kya.

Letting Go: Sometimes when you held on to something for so long, you’ve got to let it go. No matter what you do to go back to the old days, the hurt, the betrayal, the anger is all still there. Moving on is for the best. And so, watching this friendship end is hurtful. I hoped that they make up but in reality something has got to change.

How I Lost You is a precise portrait of how some friendships in. They become toxic and hurtful. What was once something these friends felt relaxed in, became something they didn’t even recognize. The detailed examination of how these girls lost each other hugely impacts the readers emotions. Thoroughly entertaining, How I Lost You is fabulous. ( )