Snowed In

Children's Literature

Ashleigh Sneaux and her divorcee mom have moved from Texas to a remote village in Michigan, where her mom has bought a small bed-and-breakfast in need of a few repairs. They are soon welcomed by Nathalie Evans and her mother, and Ashleigh begins to feel relieved. She quickly meets most of the other teens in town, including Nathalie's co-workers Chase and Josh Wynter, who is helping his dad renovate Chateau Sneaux. Chase trades Ashleigh free fudge for a date, and Josh frequently flirts with her. Boy-crazy Ashleigh is quite happy with the arrangement, even if her attraction to Josh does make her question why she does not date more seriously or steadily. Just as she begins to really fall for Josh, she discovers he has been dating Nathalie since they were twelve. Josh and Ashleigh share a kiss, struggling not to reveal their mutual attraction since neither person wants to hurt Nathalie. Instead, Ashleigh goes on several dates with Chase and focuses on a visit from Tara, her best friend from Texas. Tara arrives with her boyfriend Shaun; at Nathalie's insistence, Ashleigh and her visiting friends take part in an annual guided tour of the town's Victorian homes. The last home the three visit is the Wynter home, and after Josh and Ashleigh discuss the situation, he secretly decides to break up with Nathalie. When Tara and Shaun want to spend their last day touring the mainland with Ashleigh, they must ask Josh to use the car he keeps there. The foursome have a wonderful day together, until Ashleigh arrives home to a snowball ambush led by Nathalie. Within days, however, Nathalie starts dating Chase, and the story resolves without further drama. The romances arelimited to kissing scenes, and most of the language is equally unobjectionable. Reviewer: Jennifer Wood