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A review by carinascatsandchapters
Anything Rae Touches by Holly Caste
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
WELL HOLY CRAP
**this is your warning for spoilers ahead, if you don’t want spoilers don’t read this, go read the book instead it’s 10000000000% worth it**
Right from the beginning of this book I was HOOKED. I was so intrigued by Rae’s character, and wanted to know why she was starting this new life in Golden Bay.
The story from the past was SO WELL integrated in with the present. It truly left me thinking about what truly that horrible day was. Was there an incident at the party? Potential drunk driving accident? Assault? Only right before it was revealed did I start to even imagine it was a school shooting. As someone who lived close to Newtown when the Sandy Hook shooting happened, this resonated with me deeply. I feel as if so many stories that portray the awful gun violence in our world only touch on the moment of the tragedy or even only a few months after. I love how this explored their adult life, and showed the lasting effects something like this could have on someone. Addiction, fear of getting close to people, nightmares, panic attacks, etc. The trauma and internal turmoil both Miles and Rae work through both together and separately is portrayed fantastically. I just - wow I loved this book.
The overall relationship between Rae and Miles is so sweet and touching. I love the spice level - it’s just enough that you get to see more into their characters, and get to witness their insane chemistry, but not too much that the book lacks plot. If anything it’s just a nice lil sprinkle of spice on top of an absolutely stunning story.
The side characters are also extremely notable. Sam feels like such a father figure throughout the book in the best way. He guides Miles and Rae through their struggles and provides insight whenever they feel as if the world around them is too much. He’s pretty much the steady voice of reason.
Emma is such a sweet girl, and I’m so excited to read her story and find out what she is like on a deeper level. The friendship her and Rae develop is heartwarming. She’s the opposite of Rae, similar to how her sister Cara was, but they work really well as friends. They both care for each other deeply and it’s so sweet.
I love the recurring bits like Rae’s choker that was given to her by Cara early on in the book, on the morning of their tragedy. I also adore how Rae says Cara is gold, and how the theme of her being this sunshine reoccurs all the way to the end.
I’m simply obsessed. I laughed, I cried, I gasped out loud. I can’t WAIT to read Emma and Grayson’s story, and I also am SO excited to dig into more books by Holly Caste. I’d give this a million stars if I could.
**this is your warning for spoilers ahead, if you don’t want spoilers don’t read this, go read the book instead it’s 10000000000% worth it**
Right from the beginning of this book I was HOOKED. I was so intrigued by Rae’s character, and wanted to know why she was starting this new life in Golden Bay.
The story from the past was SO WELL integrated in with the present. It truly left me thinking about what truly that horrible day was. Was there an incident at the party? Potential drunk driving accident? Assault? Only right before it was revealed did I start to even imagine it was a school shooting. As someone who lived close to Newtown when the Sandy Hook shooting happened, this resonated with me deeply. I feel as if so many stories that portray the awful gun violence in our world only touch on the moment of the tragedy or even only a few months after. I love how this explored their adult life, and showed the lasting effects something like this could have on someone. Addiction, fear of getting close to people, nightmares, panic attacks, etc. The trauma and internal turmoil both Miles and Rae work through both together and separately is portrayed fantastically. I just - wow I loved this book.
The overall relationship between Rae and Miles is so sweet and touching. I love the spice level - it’s just enough that you get to see more into their characters, and get to witness their insane chemistry, but not too much that the book lacks plot. If anything it’s just a nice lil sprinkle of spice on top of an absolutely stunning story.
The side characters are also extremely notable. Sam feels like such a father figure throughout the book in the best way. He guides Miles and Rae through their struggles and provides insight whenever they feel as if the world around them is too much. He’s pretty much the steady voice of reason.
Emma is such a sweet girl, and I’m so excited to read her story and find out what she is like on a deeper level. The friendship her and Rae develop is heartwarming. She’s the opposite of Rae, similar to how her sister Cara was, but they work really well as friends. They both care for each other deeply and it’s so sweet.
I love the recurring bits like Rae’s choker that was given to her by Cara early on in the book, on the morning of their tragedy. I also adore how Rae says Cara is gold, and how the theme of her being this sunshine reoccurs all the way to the end.
I’m simply obsessed. I laughed, I cried, I gasped out loud. I can’t WAIT to read Emma and Grayson’s story, and I also am SO excited to dig into more books by Holly Caste. I’d give this a million stars if I could.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Sexual content, and Alcoholism