Review: Coming of Age Story!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 17, 2013
Kassandra's father is killed in an automobile accident by an enraged drunken driver.  Her younger sister is injured and the trauma has left her refusing to speak.  The grief is overwhelming for Kassandra's mother, leaving Kass to be the adult in the home, taking care of everything while still trying to come to terms with the guilt she feels, as she thinks it is her fault the accident happened at all.Upon returning to school, Kass finds out just how superficial and self-absorbed her 'friends' are and realizes she has been no better.  She becomes an outcast to them.Maddon has a bad boy, rebel image, that he works hard to maintain. (Sadly, there is so much more to him, that he feels the need to hide it, is a sad statement.) He also feels responsible for the accident that killed Kass's father.  His abusive, alcoholic father was the enraged driver and wouldn't have been in that place at that time, if not for Maddon.He watches Kass from afar, until fate puts them in the same detention period.  As Kass learns to forgive both herself and Maddon, Maddon learns to forgive himself.  Love blooms between the unlikely pair and together they must either hide their feelings or face the unknown fallout.As with all of Tiffany King's books, this is a richly detailed book with a message to send.  It is a story of coming of age, accepting life as it is, learning to forgive and moving on.  The love story between Kass and Maddon is warm with each showing an innocence, maturity, and sense of caring for others that is refreshing. With the changes of POV throughout the book, the reader is allowed in both Kass's and Maddon's heads and hearts.  A wonderful 'feel good' read!