Oh my goodness this book, I'm very much on the fence about whether I liked it or not. Firstly the romance I didn't like, it felt too stalker-y for me. By the end I was ready for it, cheering for them but..... well I won't spoil the ending but I was let down! I liked the setting of the book and the descriptions but the plot was a no no from me.

Fine, I admit it: I basically picked up The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford because it had a cute cover. And when I found out that it was about a girl studying abroad, I knew that I was definitely going to read it. The premise reminded me a bit of one of my favorites – Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – but set in Cold War Russia. But don’t let a pretty cover deceive you: The Boy on the Bridge is a lot less fluffy than it looks.

Laura, the protagonist, is such a likeable main character because her character isn’t the stereotypical fish out of water. She’s an American in Cold War Russia, but unlike so many other YA books where the main character is in a foreign country, Laura actually embraces the new language and culture. She genuinely wanted to be in Russia and learn more about the country. Despite the fact that she is ostracized by most people because she is American, Laura is still determined to make the most of her study abroad experience.

As the cover suggests, there is romance. Alexei, also known as Alyosha, is not your typical love interest. I was constantly wondering if Alyosha is someone that Laura could trust. Is he genuine or his he using her because she is American? For the most part, I was unsure of his motives. The romance is unpredictable.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a Cold War era novel set in Russia before, so the setting was really refreshing. Standiford does an amazing job with the setting. I could really picture myself in Russia and imagine all the different places that Laura visits.

The Boy on the Bridge gives readers such a great glimpse of what it is like for an American teenager living in Cold War Russia. In addition to Laura’s own experiences, readers also get to see what it is like through Alyosha’s eyes. Through Russian and American perspectives, readers get a broader image of life in Russia.

Overall, I quite enjoyed The Boy on the Bridge. Despite what the cover suggests, The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford is more than just a sappy romance by giving a glimpse of life in Cold War Russia.

I did not finish this book, and will not be reviewing it on my blog. Thanks so much for the opportunity.

Enjoyed immensely. Worth a read. I believe a lot of teens will connect with this story.

Laura is spending a semester in Leningrad in 1982 because she is a Russian studies major at Brown. It’s cold, the food is bad, and the locals aren’t exactly friendly, until she meets Alyosha when he saves her from begging gypsy women. The two hit it off, and Laura gets to see a side of Russia previously unavailable to her. Alyosha is an artist who has run afoul of his father and makes his living painting movie posters. He and Laura travel around, fall in love, and eventually make plans to be married. Laura knows that this is fraught with complications, since the USSR won’t let Alyosha out quickly, but he assures her that by the time she graduates, he will be in the US and they can move to San Francisco. The course of true love, however, never runs smoothly, and circumstances keep them apart.
Strengths: Cannot really do this one justice. Standiford spent a semester in Russia, and it clearly shows. The details of life in the USSR at this time are starkly but richly portrayed. I don’t know if Standiford loved and lost in Russia, but she must have known someone who did. The best romances are always the ones that end. This is brilliant and so sad!
Weaknesses: This one is a tad YA, but fairly tame. There is one scene at the very end that’s slightly more descriptive—clothes are removed and the two get into bed, but there’s nothing overly graphic. I’m thinking that if one of my girls gets through all of the thirty year old Russian history details, this is a tame reward!

And the cover... not 1980s. Sigh. To be expected.