Scan barcode
purplejumping's review
5.0
The first thing I loved about this book was the writing style. It's so clean, yet descriptive and beautiful in its own way. In addition, the struggles of the characters were so raw that I felt myself truly caring for each and every single person in the book. Brooke is a headstrong, driven protagonist, and I saw a lot of her in myself. I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for an emotional read.
lopster9's review
5.0
This book was amazing.......so many great things about it. I will be suggesting this one to my sophomores, as it is a nice comparison to Catcher in the Rye, as well as other texts we have read. There are many great lines in this book. Amber Smith has beautifully captured the emotions of loss, hope, family, and love.
"All we have to do is live in the gray area, the space between the lines, between darkness and light, good and bad, love and hate."
"All we have to do is live in the gray area, the space between the lines, between darkness and light, good and bad, love and hate."
lucymckeon's review
3.0
(3.5) vulnerable and jarring, but i wish there was a bit more in terms of resolution — just kinda wrapped up at the end
minseigle's review against another edition
3.0
I'd rate this book 3 - 3.5 stars. It was interesting but seemed a bit long and dragged on. I thought there would be this twist to it, but there wasn't. It was pretty much "what you see is what you get."
megatsunami's review
4.0
This was an intense, dark exploration of the aftermath of a domestic-abuse-related murder (Brooke's mother kills her father after years of abuse) and the fallout for Brooke and her siblings. There was so much in this story that felt very nuanced and true to life. The author wrote PTSD really well without resorting to cliches, and portrayed abuse in relationships really well without showing us simply an evil demon abuser and an innocent martyr victim.
It was a little frustrating to watch Brooke take so long to open up and acknowledge what was going on for her, but at the same time it felt believable to me.
As a side note, I was kind of annoyed by the therapist in this book. He wasn't bad, just... such a cliched and old-school-sit-there-and-take-notes-while-you-talk type of guy. Therapist depictions are kind of a pet peeve of mine and it probably won't bother you (it was only a couple of scenes).
It was a little frustrating to watch Brooke take so long to open up and acknowledge what was going on for her, but at the same time it felt believable to me.
As a side note, I was kind of annoyed by the therapist in this book. He wasn't bad, just... such a cliched and old-school-sit-there-and-take-notes-while-you-talk type of guy. Therapist depictions are kind of a pet peeve of mine and it probably won't bother you (it was only a couple of scenes).
mbrock14's review
4.0
Story was interesting. I kept thinking damn what else is this girl gonna go through? The murder of her father, imprisonment of her mother, her brother trying to commit suicide, her little sister witnessing the murder and not speaking, domestic abuse, coming out, stealing. Like god damn girl.
I thought the story was intriguing and made a lot of sense how one thing lead to another however it felt like the ending we were driving 80 miles and hour and then just slammed into a brick wall. It was just everything is fine now. Family broke up and “I was the last to let go”.
The acknowledgments said Smith had a hard time writing this book. Starting in 2013 and ultimately releasing/publishing in 2018. Was the ending just a quick way to finish it?
I thought the story was intriguing and made a lot of sense how one thing lead to another however it felt like the ending we were driving 80 miles and hour and then just slammed into a brick wall. It was just everything is fine now. Family broke up and “I was the last to let go”.
The acknowledgments said Smith had a hard time writing this book. Starting in 2013 and ultimately releasing/publishing in 2018. Was the ending just a quick way to finish it?
apscherer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jamiellee's review
3.0
I wanted this to be as phenomenal as “The Way I Used To Be” and it just wasn’t. Felt more chaotic and I didn’t feel like the relationships panned out fully. I wanted more from the ending, and I definitely wanted answers to what happened!
eroof514's review
4.0
I received a review copy in exchange of an honest review. This book was great and it deals with the hard topic of domestic violence. Brooke and her siblings have grown up in an abusive home. One day their Mom has had enough snaps and kills their father. This book is about what they have to go through without their parents and trying to stay together. The main character also learns about her sexuality in this book and meets her girlfriend. I thought this was an amazing story even with the though topic.