I struggled with how to rate this book because while the narrative didn't necessarily connect with me, I do think there are readers that would connect with this story. Joel has hundreds of unsent text messages on his phone, and they've been piling up ever since the event. There are just certain people that he can't talk to in person. And he's slowly drifting away from everyone else. Joel doesn't have much hope that things will get better; at least, until he starts forming a bond with his fellow students.

It was difficult for me to get into this story because I think it tried to tackle too many issues. Not only is Joel struggling with what happened to his best friend, he's also struggling with homelessness, the treatment of veterans, making friends, and even mental health issues. Because the book jumped around between these issues, it was difficult for me to follow the main narrative. More focus would have allowed these issues to breath, better communicating them to the reader.

Despite the flaws, the characters were really fleshed out; I got a good sense of Joel and his friends. I generally like character driven narratives, but there was just something that didn't click here for me.