Crossroads

A Post Choisie Series Novella

By Lori L. Otto

Synopsis

Will Rosser is smart.
Will Rosser is creative.
Will Rosser is driven.

Will Rosser is no Jon Scott.

This novella is a tie-in to the Choisie series. CROSSROADS takes place the summer after Livvy’s first year of College. This should be read after completing the Choisie series.

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Robin’s Review

*** If you have not read the Choisie series, this review may contain mild spoilers.

Lori Otto recently set a goal for herself. She wanted to write and publish a short story about Will Rosser in just two weeks. It’s a goal she not only met, but even surpassed! Crossroads is a 22,000-word post-Choisie series novella about the older of Jon Scott’s two half-brothers. Many of the characters you already know and love from the Choisie series star in this mature young adult novella because it ties in with the series.

For those who have not already read Lori Otto’s Choisie series, I’ll share some background information about Will and his family. Will has an older half-brother named Jon Scott and a younger brother named Max. Their single mother is an alcoholic. Because the three brothers don’t have a father figure in their life, Jon took on the role as man of the house. Jon has made an effort to be available for his brothers over the years and, more recently, in between college classes and his internship. Jon attended baseball games and provided advice for his siblings. He encouraged them to watch over their mother and to study hard so they will be successful in life. As Jon grew older, he groomed Will to take over his role as the man of the house.

After their mother was arrested, she was forced to face her alcoholism. She moved their family from Manhattan to Utah so they could all be together while she was able to get the help she needed. Will lived in Utah for a year and a half, including his entire sophomore year of high school. At the end of the school year, Will had to leave his best friend and his first love behind to move back to Manhattan with his family.

In Crossroads, we learn that Will has planned a weekend trip to Utah over the summer break to visit his girlfriend, Laila and his best friend, Landry. It’s a trip he has planned so that he can say goodbye to Laila. Will is at a crossroads in his life. He is very much in love with Laila, but he knows he needs to say goodbye. Will and Laila both understand this visit will be the end of their relationship, and, although Will doesn’t realize it, his life will be changed in more ways than one.

Although Will’s character does play more of a role in Dear Jon, he really doesn’t get a lot of page time in the rest of the Choisie series. What I enjoyed the most about Crossroads is getting to know Will as a character and seeing his character develop throughout the novella. Crossroads is not a long story, but readers will definitely see him experience some changes in his life. Like his brother Jon, I just fell in love with his character. Will is smart. He loves physics. He has an extreme passion for music. Not only does he love music, but we are able to see the beginnings of something special. Will just might be a musical prodigy.

I don’t think it is absolutely necessary for someone to have read the Choisie series before reading this novella. If you have not read any novels by Lori Otto, Crossroads might be a great introduction to her writing. I found Crossroads intriguing, and I absolutely want to read more about Will Rosser! In my opinion, Crossroads is a solid 5-star novella!

Author Bio:

After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Lori Otto worked in the billboard industry for ten years. Frustrated with trying to communicate entire messages in “seven seconds or less,” she decided to leave outdoor advertising and return to her love of creative writing.

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