The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

Summary:(from goodreads) Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After. What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy.Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.  
Review:  I really liked this book. This is a character driven book and I really connected with Laurel. Even though I have never dealt with anything even close to what she is going through. I liked the buildup of her relationship with David. It was very slow and subtle which isn't something that is seen very often. This book is not really focused on the romance it's just there as a little side note. The way the characters develop is really great. Laurel changes a lot of the course of the book but at the same time she is still so much the same.  It's kind of hard to explain but I think the reason I fell in love with this book is because it felt so real. There was nothing overly dramatic or unrealistic. I am really excited to read this author's other books. My only complaint about it is that the immediate aftermath of the accident was not emotional enough. This isn't a huge deal because the whole book is emotions and dealing with how to move on, but I still noticed it. Really, I loved this book.