Once again I'm reminded that every child deserves parents, but not all parents deserve children.

This book was really interesting. I enjoyed it A TON!
What I've realized while reading is that I usually read about love between romantic partners, but this book has made me realize, that I enjoy reading about love between siblings/parents/guardians etc. And that is quite exciting!! Makes me confident to discover other books with such themes :)
It was also incredibly easy to read because of the format, the book only uses this e-mail type of formatting. It was very different and new, but also easy to get used to!

I wondered: Did Mom and Darren hurt us more by what they did or by what they didn't do? Which wounds us more - the hostile presence or the absent kindness?

I REALLY liked Ezra and Bea. They're both amusing and they feel very realistic, like someone I could actually meet in my life. But that also means that their story is a reality for many. The whole time I was hoping that at some point their life turns around or they're magically saved by this other parental figure. But reality is often disappointing.. the turn this book took was shocking (to say the least). Everything I thought would happen didn't and instead they basically got a new problem thrown in their face. Even through all of that happened and their emotions were played like a fiddle, the Ahren siblings were still close to each other.

I appreciate that the authors gave the characters an ending where they had each other, no matter what happens in the future. Regarding the future, the book stayed pretty open ended, but to me that felt satisfying. A sort of "hope nugget" to latch on to.
Thank you to both of these amazing authors for shedding light on people's lives who suffer from abuse or know someone who does.

We thought there was a wall around our story. But what if there were windows?

Content Warnings

jesse_5's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

alice451's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Content Warnings

mlv97's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

namedroppingsleaze's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

frantically's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

As a former depressed 18-year-old with a 15-year-old brother, please don't unload that all onto your brother 😭😭 He doesn't know wtf is going on either.

Also, either these kids were literary geniuses and I missed that part or these emails were SO ridiculous accurate at recounting events word-for-word, that it got out of hand.

Content Warnings

laheath's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow! This pairing of authors David Levithan and Jennifer Niven was everything I would expect from them. Told in a series of emails, mostly between brother Ezra and sister Bea, after she runs away, the story tackles heavy issues that we all wish teens did not have to face, such as emotional and physical abuse, and the search for acceptance on many levels. Through their email exchanges, they explore their changing definitions of family and love. Though not given an ideal beginning, they both find hope in the future as they learn to trust, open their hearts to others, and change their circumstances.

Content Warnings

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