[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
It was raining, and he was walking. His truck seemed broken down at the side of the road. Brooke could have ignored it. There was too much history there. It would probably be easier if she kept driving. But she stopped and offered Heath a ride.
Cal, Heath’s older brother was dead. Jason, Brooke’s older brother, was in prison for Cal’s murder. When Jason was arrested, Brooke was absolutely convinced of his innocence. But when Jason confessed, every aspect of her life crumbled. Her mom lost her job and had become almost manic in her efforts to keep the family together. Brooke’s dad withdrew into his work, and her younger sister became a shadow of her former self. Brooke’s boyfriend at the time sold her out to the tabloids. They had to leave their church. Everyone treats them as if the whole family is guilty.
And Heath actually has an idea of what that’s all like. While his family gets pity where Brooke’s gets suspicion, they, too, are living every day with the fall out of whatever happened that night between Jason and Cal. And while both Brooke and Heath know no one would understand how they could even look at each other much less be friends, there’s something between them they just can’t let go.
Review
This was stunning. This is an emotionally messy, complicated story. And it’s told remarkably well. I loved Brooke and Heath. The ups and downs in their relationship are completely believable, but there’s also tremendous chemistry between them. The emotional fall out for Brooke’s family is raw and painful. How do you balance the love you have for your family with the guilt and shame from the crime? Each family member takes a role – and Brooke’s is that of the caretaker. She can only let her guard down with Heath, and even that is dangerous. The emotional complexity of this is excellent.
There’s a suspense element to this, too, as Brooke tries to figure out what really happened the night of the murder. This part of the book was also especially well done. And all the pieces of the story were tied up in a satisfying way without a perfect – and unbelievable – happily ever after.
Other than the dark subject matter with the murder, this is a “clean” book for teens. No language or other mature content other than the emotional complexity of the story and the murder case. I highly recommend this one for teens who want to dig into a rich story with great characters in complicated scenarios.