Review: Paintbrush by Hannah Bucchin

Paintbrush by Hannah Bucchin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Blaze Publishing and NetGalley, as I absolutely loved this! I couldn't put it down, I read it in almost one sitting. It was such a sweet contemporary romance. And can we talk about the beautiful cover? The cover is what interested me, the description drew me in, and after the first couple of chapters I was done for. That's saying alot as I don't read a ton of contemporary books. I've been reading some heavy, dark stuff lately and I was in the mood for something lighter and this just hit the spot.  There was just something about this one. Hannah Bucchin did such a wonderful job on this.  Congratulations, on your debut novel, I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!  This is set to be released July 11, 2017.


The story follows the alternating perspectives of Josie and Mitchell, who live in the Indian Paintbrush Community Village. It is a commune named after a flower founded by leader Myra who keeps the community running smoothly, but unlike those with a cult following, its just a group of people from all over that have kind of settled together to make a sort of community family. Some people have traditional jobs, some just work at the village, everyone kind of looks out for one another, and there is no weird religion or anything strange going on. It is a place for people who are down on their luck or who have lost their way and need a place to call home. That is how Josie's family came to live in Paintbrush. Josie grew up with Mitchell and they've always been friends but as they got older they kind of grew apart after they stopped homeschooling together. Mitchell wants to get as far away from Paintbrush as possible after graduation, while Josie can't imagine herself anywhere but a part of the community she loves. Both of their lives are filled with family drama, which happens to be the thing that brings them closer together and rediscover the bond they once had. They realize that they may have deeper feelings for each other, and I really appreciated the development of their relationship and the real world problems they faced. Their emotions were raw, ugly, and very realistic and very appropriate for 18 year-olds facing the situations they were in. Their relationship leaves them both reconsidering what they thought they wanted for their futures.

I loved the supporting characters, the family members, the members of the community, the best friends were all well written and I felt like I was part of the story not just and outsider reading about them. I love that in a book. This book left me wanting more, what happens to future Josie and Mitchell? I wanted to know more about Josie's sisters, and Mitchell's parents, and everyone else in the story. I also liked that I could imaging any future I wanted for them, left me with a huge smile on my face and hope in my heart. The humor was well placed throughout the book and there were many times I laughed out loud while reading this book. I also really appreciated a YA where there is no sex, there is kissing, swearing, and some mature situations discussed, but sex is not something that is a necessary part of their relationship or a necessary part of the plot development.