Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie

Callum & Harper tells the story of two teenagers who have aged out of social services after being bounced from one horrible foster home to another.  Sitting next to each other while waiting, both are instantly attracted to each other and Callum offers Harper a ride to see if they can get a bed at Hope House a homeless facility.  They end up being turned away and Callum calls a friend who allows them to sleep at his studio.  An incredible relationship is forged out of shared circumstances and a deep understanding of being alone.  Callum is such a swoon worthy guy you will fall instantly in love with him right along with Harper.  He is protective of Harper while being respectful, humble and incredibly sexy.  He introduces Harper to his group of friends that envelop the two like a big mismatched family. 
Harper is strong and immediately drawn to the honesty in Callum's personality.  At first they seem to be staying together out of necessity but begin to rely on each other.  Ms. Amelie describes both with poetic reality that makes them identifiable and kept me reading deep into the night.  There is no way to describe the incredible romantic dance that becomes Callum and Harper's relationship.  They interact in a way that has your heart beating right along with theirs.  Callum convinces Harper to attend NYU with him as she was already accepted.  When they inquire about student housing they find there is nothing but married available.  Callum persuades Harper that the smartest thing to do would be to get married but believes that Harper thinks they are only just friends.  Harper agrees believing the same about Callum when both are madly in love with the other.  Circumstances and interruptions keep the two from confessing their soul deep love for each other.  Harper is also being stalked by an abusive psychotic man named John who once shared a foster home with her.  John is obsessed and deadly in his threats toward Harper.  John is a nightmare in the flesh and keeps the two to depend on each other and their friends beyond everything else.
Callum & Harper is one of the best books I have read this year and will most definitely be on my keeper shelf.  As I finished it, I wanted to immediately re-read it to not let my experience with these wonderful characters end.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a YA Romance with teeth that deals with real life and is still swoon worthy.  I loved the alternating viewpoints allowing me to get inside both Callum and Harper's heads.  I was captivated by this book and can't really do it justice in a review!