Bella Swann "sent herself" to live with her dad, Charlie, so her mother would be free to travel with her new husband, a baseball player. She's sure that life in the small town in which Charlie lives will be at best boring. Moreover, being the new kid for one's senior year in school is not wonderful, especially in a small school where everyone has known each other forever.

Then, she meets Edward. Instantly, the two young people are attracted to each other, but Edward holds himself aloof, until Bella is almost killed by a freak accident from which he saves her. Then, he is unable to keep her out of his life and eventually lets Bella in on his secret - he's not young. He's over a hundred and a vampire.

He tried to stay away because it was love at first sight, but he's a danger to Bella because of that love. Somehow, they manage to work out a functioning relationship, albeit a difficult one, until new vampires come to town; hunters who lock their sights onto Bella. Edward and his closely knit family will do anything to protect her, but Bella is equally willing to take risks to keep anyone from being hurt on her account. That could get her killed, at the very least.

Look beyond the young adult label and read this book. The emotional power of it builds to a crescendo that only begins to taper off towards the end, before concluding on a sweet, yet sad note that should bring a tear to soft hearted individual's eyes. Somehow, Ms. Meyer conveys the sensuality of a vampire romance in a completely innocent way. The next volume in the series will be eagerly awaited.

Synopsis
When seventeen-year-old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town itself. In spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella. Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility makes her feel almost physically ill. He seems determined to push her away - until, that is, he saves her life from an out of control car. Bella will soon discover that there is a very good reason for Edward's coldness. He, and his family, are vampires - and he knows how dangerous it is for others to get too close.