Review: wanted to like it more,  spoilers ahead
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 10, 2013
I always find it difficult when I don't like a book that everyone else loves,  but this didn't work for me.  It starts at the end - we know that Mattie and Simon have been apart for 3 years and then go to the beginning.  I think I would have enjoyed the book more without trying to see what is going to go wrong or create the separation, but that wasn't my main problem with the book.Spoilers aheadI just thought Simon was awful to poor Mattie. Mattie was so vulnerable and he could see that Simon had difficulties too,  but Simon could only see his own issues and couldn't see Mattie's needs or vulnerabilities at all. After a while I got so cross with Simon,  I thought Mattie could do better!  I know Simon was an unexpected single dad,  but he was in a much better space than Mattie and only afraid of emotional risk.  Mattie was fully prepared to emotionally risk everything for Simon, including his dreams of a future in New York,  but his poverty was putting him at real risk,  and he couldn't bring any of that to the relationship.  The scene at the birthday party was just too awful,  it was a deal breaker for me.  I couldn't forgive someone who had done that to me either...I read it to the end,  so that's an automatic 3 stars,  but I was really disappointed with one of the main characters,  so really it's a 2 stars rounded up.