The whole reason I picked this up is because Liz Reinhardt collaborates. I’d been looking for something of hers to bring back what I’d loved in Brenna Blixen#1, (that would be a female lead with her head solidly planted on her shoulders; that grounded girl with so many options open to her.) Not to mention the totally surprising moments of those smocking hot sexy times. The two that followed failed to live up to what the first had set… but lo, LENGTHS has brought back that loving feeling. 6$SexySometimes sex is just sex; other times sex is all hot and smoking. The fact is both those statements apply to the book at hand. Nobody goes tippy toe, blush-blush around what happens here, they just dive right in. It is what it is… and I appreciated its factual up front presence from page one. The sex is not there to change her world, it’s not used for a world view epiphany producing moment. It’s fun. It’s hot and it is what it is. I repeat: there’s no tippy toeing around it. This is YA with mature content after all, so mature it did get. And unlike other “YA mature content” that could go overboard with the descriptives, this one didn’t. There’s a series that falls under the same category as this that I read without fail; in those there were times things felt like they were going the right direction, except eventually there’d be this key moment pushing things too far…far beyond the sexy toward TMI. The same doesn’t happen here… but only just barely. Anyway, smexy times. Check.The characters were a kick.The girl: She’s her reasons for being the way she is and is so fragile as a consequence. But I liked that about her. That she’s her baggage and is dealing with things the way she knows how. I like that the authors go the extra mile of pointing out that it’s how she looks that draws him close, but upon closer inspection she’s shown to be filled to the brim with her issues... and he doesn’t back off! Issues? Yes, she has them… but I love that none of hers have to do with (a) her lack of experience (b) or her wanting/needing a boy. Instead, she has her guilt... and her method of dealing with it (or not dealing with it, as could be validly pointed out). The boy. Oh, I had fun with him! He’s no boy, but he seemed stuck in that mind set. But, it’s also a big part of his charm: all cocky, self assured… lazy, bumming around, but a good guy nonetheless. He loves his mother, respects his granddad, and is a decent friend. He’s such a good guy, in fact, that he comes up with scenarios that are theoretically sweet and romantic in the grand gesture kind of way. I say 'theoretically' because of the so obvious likelihood of them backfiring... yet, still he keeps to his cool and cocky ways!So, I enjoyed...That she doesn’t fall at his feet. That he really is a good guy, even when he screws up. That she has her reasons and is sad, sad girl for it. That they’re fun together!