Review: Such a beautiful journey!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 4, 2014
Wow, a heartbreaking, awe-inspiring, teeth-clenching tale. The way Chelsea Fine wrote this story was breathtakingly beautiful. Rather than experiencing the traumatic event in one setting, you really get to live it within the characters. You get to share the grief of both Pixie and Levi. This tragic tale really allows you to see the world in a different way and I think that it's such a rare occurrence in books lately.First of all, the way that Chelsea Fine sets the different scenes with the weather is truly beautiful. You can't help but be sucked into this world that she creates. It just so perfectly sets the tone and emotions for numerous scenes. I also love that she used the metaphor of painting for Pixie. It was a beautiful transformation to see this character grow in such an emotional way. She starts off with using only black and white paints because that's how she feels. As she starts to heal and grow, she gains strength and begins to see the world in cooler again. There is one scene I particular, the first time she uses colors again, that really was just breathtaking. As I read the words, I couldn't help but get choked up.As for the characters, man I really wanted to slap them sometimes. Their antics sometimes made me feel like they were ten years old. However, it really works for their characters because in some ways, they are stuck at a younger age. They were scarred by losing someone they love  and just never moved forward. So even though they acted ten sometimes, you couldn't help but laugh at how silly they were. It really was the basis of their friendship piecing back together. I could honestly feel their chemistry through the words written.I love that this is a story of tragedy, but it's also one of hope. I love that it's a broken girl and a broken guy and the only way for them to feel whole is to figure out a way to be together - whether as friends or as more. They realized that they needed another person. I found myself really empathizing with Pixie. I was that broken girl who latched onto other families to feel whole again. I understood things she felt that I could never find words for.I also thought that ending was perfect because while it gave us an idea of what happened, it was also left open. It didn't end with a wedding or everything tied up in a pretty bow. It was much more their "here and now" and surviving in the moment. I think it helped me as a reader come to my own conclusions of how I wanted their story to progress, rather than see how the author had it all planned out.For anyone who has experiences loss and tragedy, I would definitely recommend this book. The back and forth viewpoints really help to see different sides of a horrific event. It helped me to see how different people cope with things. Most of all, it helped me to want to see the world in all its beautiful colors - not just a black and white canvas.