Review: For anyone who has experienced loss, this book is for you
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 5, 2012
I signed up to review this book through the ARR program at Goodreads. I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.I really empathized with Willow, the main character, and the awkward relationship she had with her mother. Losing a parent is a terrible experience, which I have gone through myself, and I know that's why I related to Willow a lot. On top of dealing with the loss of her father, she ends up having to move away to a new house and a new school with new people surrounding her. It's tough enough to be the new kid at school, but with grief compounding that already difficult situation, well, I think she handled herself very maturely, more maturely than I would have.Willow doesn't seem to be able to catch a break, either, because not long after the move, her mother ends up dating a coworker when she begins working at the school Willow's brother attends. Willow is understandably resentful and feels like her mother is replacing her father, which is definitely how many kids who have really gone through this would feel. Willow's brother was so busy playing video games, which I believe was his way of coping with the loss of his father, that he seemed to be more accepting of the new man in their mother's life than Willow was.Willow meets Michael at school, and even if I hadn't known from the synopsis that he has a serious illness, I would've been able to tell just by reading about him. Sometimes I was frustrated and didn't understand why Willow couldn't see that Michael wasn't being reclusive on purpose, but then I think about her age and the fact that once you lose someone so important in your life it's really difficult to form new relationships with others for the fear that you might lose them, too.I really liked the relationship between the two of them. They formed a bond that was unusual, and the author did a great job slowly growing them together over the course of the book. It wasn't a typical romance; it was quite different with no sappy moments, and I was happy with its uniqueness. Without a doubt, this is a book I'd like to read again, and I'm looking forward to seeing what stories come next from the author.