Review: Intriguing, beautiful, and dark- a great mature YA read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 9, 2013
4.5 starsPaige Alexander has lived a life of luxury and wealth but has suffered at the hands of sociopathic parents and constant self-doubt.  When her botched suicide attempt lands her in counseling Paige begins to search deep within herself and face her demons. However, life gets even more messy when her girlfriend has secrets, she has a gay fake boyfriend, and a hate crime threatens to expose her sexuality for all to see. Will Paige pull it all together or is she too doomed for this world?Upon reflection I feel this story has a main theme of balance.  Paige is a lovable character with a snarky attitude and horrible people skills who has a dark past and even darker assumptions.  Therefore this novel is a balance of humor and sensitivity mixed with dark and deep undertones.  Surprisingly I found this novel very dark for a young adult book.  One thing I liked was the author didn't always spell it out for the reader- we are revealed the secrets and darkness bit by bit and then left to analyze the aftermath ourselves."I should mention that I have terrible gaydar.  Jess likes to put my skills to the test, but unless a guy is flaming or a girl is so butch that I feel like pissing my pants in fear, I invariably fail the test."I would dare any reader to not like Paige- and she's actually a very unlikable character.  However, she's also witty, honest, and genuinely raw which makes her lovable.  I did feel Paige was a younger version of the author's last novel's main character.  Paige was affluent and a tinge arrogant as Lizzie was in A Woman Lost.  Also, both redeemed themselves in the end by learning humility and opening up to those who loved them.  As a reader I wonder if this type of character is someone the author relates to or is the author sending us a bigger message?"I'm like an iceberg; I only share a tiny fraction of my life with people, just enough to skim the surface."A VERY sensitive subject is tackled in this novel and I believe the content was written with grace and understanding.  Self-harm is a very difficult topic to understand and to create a character who suffers from such inflictions is definitely a risk.  However, Paige tells us how it is- she's not out looking for attention or pity- she just wants the easy way out of a hard life.  Paige also ponders the aftermath and learns her self-injurious actions were indeed selfish after seeing the damage done to her girlfriend."There is a beauty about death.  No one can bring you back."The ending wasn't what I expected but was just as equally shocking and vivid that I am definitely going to have a book hangover!  I could feel regret and remorse for Paige for over-looking a certain person in her life but could also feel the freedom Paige felt as her demons could not chase her anymore.  I highly recommend this book not only to young adult readers but to mature readers as well since many difficult topics are addressed.