Reviewed by Danielle
TITLE: What You Own
AUTHOR: A.M Arthur
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 Pages
BLURB: For Ryan Sanders, the Paige Community Center is more than a place where he teaches at-risk teens about musical theater. He found a sense of belonging there during one of the hardest times of his life. With the center facing a financial crisis, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep the doors open—even soliciting fundraiser donations from Langley-Quartermaine Financial.
Adam Langley has a plan: survive an internship at his father’s company, finish college, get his trust fund, and find his former high school best friend Ryan and beg his forgiveness. In that order, because if Ryan does forgive him, Adam believes he’ll finally find the courage to come out to his wealthy, bigoted father.
Adam’s carefully considered plan is shattered when Ryan appears at the office a full ten months before Adam is ready, and Ryan is just as stunned. Against his better judgment, Adam gets involved with the fundraiser—and Ryan. Old feelings won’t be denied, and as Ryan and Adam reconnect, they realize neither knows the entire truth about the horrific night three years earlier that tore their friendship apart
REVIEW:
What a surprise it was to see a new story from this author as I remembered her former title with this publisher quite well. “Unearthing Cole” was a story that stuck with me long after I read it and I remember recommending it to my friends.
So as I said it was a pleasurable moment when I saw the announcement of this book. The blurb fascinated me as I am quite the musical lover myself. And this story certainly didn’t disappoint on any level.
From the moment Ryan (one of the main characters) and his best friend Ellie step into the Langley building and sees Adam ( the other main character ) there, you sense there is so much more to this tale.
Frequently you get snippets and little bits during the story which is also surprisingly told by both main characters point of view.
When Adam and Ryan reconnect in the theater you slowly feel them growing back together despite what happened years before. The two person point-of-view gives you a very detailed and complete picture of what they both went through three years before as well what is happening between them at the current point in their lives.
Their coupling is very secure and precisely worked out by the author. It is very nice to see the different points of view in multiple situations and they flow over into one another perfectly.
A special mention to the people of the centre especially Ellie, their characters are well worked out and fit perfectly to the story.
In this story the author pulls the whole story through, meaning it fits, it is complete, right till the tiny epilogue. You get a complete picture of their struggles, the facts and situation they needed to face and endure during their battle to make a life together.
A tiny word of criticism. When Ryan finally tells Adam what he forgone by telling him in the whole retelling of the beating, to me that outcome was unexpected and seems not to fit the story. I specifically mention “to me” as I could see that this might be a personal view or opinion.
In the end it didn’t take away any of my enthusiasm over this story and I really recommend it to lovers of a good contemporary story with a solid background story, a love for theater and a feeling for caring for children and society.
Danielle rates it – 
BUY LINKS:Dreamspinner Press