Review: Powerful and heartbreaking
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 14, 2013
This book will be hard for for some to read.  It deals with domestic violence at its worst, rape, suicide and lots and lots of nightmares and heartache.Maria was raped when she was 15 by her brothers college roommate when she went to visit and seven years later she is no better than she was after it first happened.  Afraid to tell her family, she has had to deal with this on her own and unfortunately still deals with nightmares every night. If it weren't for her amazing best friend and roommate Tina, there is no telling where she would be. Maria has barely spoke to her brother in 7 years.Owen was beaten by his alcoholic father for most of his life. Since he was 7 he's dealt with it so much that his body is riddled with scars and each one tells a story.  He has not been back home for 5 years.When Owen first meets Maria, she reminds him of his little sister.  She has the same sad eyes.  The same eyes that have seen and knows too much.  Apart they are both lost but together they find they are both stronger.This is really a great book but I couldn't give it more than 4 stars because I felt that parts were carried out a little too long at times and also because of the few times that sentences were repeated when switching between POV.  That always drives me crazy.