by Jeff Beamish

YA Contemporary, 2023 by Roundfire Books, 385 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

Content Warning: Statutory rape, sexual content in general, drug use.
There are moments where this feels confusing. I believe it’s intentional, as a way to highlight that one of our POV characters is suffering, but it’s still off-putting to try and get through at times.
I really, really dislike Mike. That’s difficult since he’s a POV character. He makes a lot of choices that are inconsistent with what you think you know of his character. I found it hard to connect to him.

Solid opening chapter. Instantly you want the backstory and you have questions you want answered. It definitely captures your interest and keeps you reading.
Ashlee is a good character. She is creative and logical in her way. Immediately you want good things for her.
The ending works. There are satisfying conclusions made and things come together well.