Could've been 150 pages shorter if you cut out the amount of times characters repeat themselves or each other. Obviously written by someone who's Gen X in the way that the dialogue is kinda cringe but the way that movies trying to make a quick buck are. (That's a bad explanation, I really can't capture what I mean but the writing's not good. People are randomly dramatic for the "sake" of tension and these situations wouldn't make sense in person. And I know what you're thinking: "This is a book, not real life!" Fair. But I trusted you to suspend my disbelief and you failed! I'm back to thinking of reality!)

Not a complaint for the author but for the illustrator of the cover: Hope is supposed to be dark skinned. Like, based on the story she is uncomfortably dark for this Southern town. And yet there are no darkskins on the cover. All them ladies are medium brown tones. It's a beautiful cover absolutely, but I was lied to!