Summary (from
Goodreads):
Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been
the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention
and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in
an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast
adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else
is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the
accident?
Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play
bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple
sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets
Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen,
for the first time.
The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family,
self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of
fans.
Review:
I’ve been reading Sarah Dessen since I was 13. Some of her
books are better than others. But, I always enjoy reading her books no matter
what. Her books are the books I set my standards for YA contemporaries against.
They all kind of deal with the same things: growing up, friendship, first love,
and family –yet they are each remarkably different. Every character Dessen
writes is different. And also, so believably real feeling.
I had high hopes for this book, and I was not disappointed.
Again, came a different and remarkably believable main character, who has to go
through all the things Dessen’s main characters go through, yet it still felt
like nothing I have read before. This author’s ability to write character is so
amazing. I felt so bad for Sydney and her situation. I felt her guilt, her
anger, and her worry. I also felt her new best friends’ love, charm, and fear.
I felt the love interest’s story too and all he overcame. I had so much feels.
I never really liked Sydney’s parents, though I don’t think
I was supposed to. I get why they were the way they were. But, I just felt so
bad for Sydney. Yes, she had so much freedom (initially), but unlike with other
YA main characters who have that freedom, she felt kind of neglected. Her
parents never really saw her or worked to understand her. They were too focused
on her brother.
I loved that Sydney was so good. There were several things
that happened where I don’t think I could have been as good as she was. She
stayed and helped a friend who was not acting like a friend, when she was the
needed the most. She followed the strict guidelines set by her parents even
when she didn’t agree with them. She missed important moments because she
listened to the rules set by her parents. And it was kind of nice having a main
character who didn’t break rules. She certainly had all the reasons not to
break them. One of the reasons she started a new school was because she knew
her parents had put a lot of money into lawyer costs for her brother.
I guess it was also hard for me to like her parents because
of the character, Ames, the boy who creeps her out. Her parents invited him to
live with them! Sydney never talked to her parents about him, so I could see
why they’d be a little oblivious. But, they were 100% oblivious to how Sydney
was feeling all the time, and this bothered me. She clearly did not like being
in the same room with the guy, and argued against all his visits, every time.
No one thought to ask why? I felt so horrified by her parent’s neglect and
ignorance of the whole situation. I don’t think I would have been able to
handle her parents as well as she did.
I loved the romance. I loved the friendship that developed
first and all the sarcasm and witty dialog that came with it. I loved Sydney’s
new best friend. And I even kind of loved her old ones too. The characters in
here were so real. I felt like I knew them.
I also liked Sydney’s brother and that he wasn’t exactly how
she always saw him. I liked that he saw all the craziness coming from his
mother just as much as Sydney did. And this book did a lot of cool things with
perspective. People surprise you. Not everyone sees you how you see yourself.
And not everyone sees people the same way you do.
There’s concerts, hidden carousels in the woods, pizza
delivery, school, romance, and family drama. There’s also some more intense
topics like sexual assault, terminal illness, prison sentences, and addiction. This
book had everything I expected and more. I read the whole thing in under 24
hours. It’s probably one of my favorite Dessen novels and I recommend it to all
YA contemporary fans out there. I give it a 10/10.
