Much thanks to NetGalley for the eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest reviewq.

A YA book for ninth grade and up, this well-written and affecting book explores some pretty serious topics with realism, humor, and emotion.

Dane Riley is a high school senior who's survived one suicide attempt and is contemplating it again as his depression gets worse with the unexpected death of his beloved father. Dane's livid that his mother has already moved on by allowing her new boyfriend, his father's best friend, Chuck, to move into the family home. Chuck's nasty son, Eric, goes to school with Dane and torments him. Dane's in love with his next-door neighbor, Ophelia but doesn't know how to make his feelings known. Dane tries to numb his emotional pain by hanging out with his friends and smoking weed, but the lure of suicide continues to beckon. With allusions to Hamlet, this novel explores Dane's serious mental health struggles and the relationships he has with his family and friends.

The frankness of this novel is laudable. I haven't read any of Spears' previous books, but her ability to realistically portray the actions, thoughts, and voices of disaffected teens has been highlighted in every other review I've read. I commend that in this novel, too. Dane's chats with his therapist and his mom, his texts to his Dad's old number, and his discussions with Ophelia and his friends were authentic and engrossing. Spears shows a deft ability to authentically portray all the characters (save Dane's mom--she seemed lacking) that are part of this complicated and serious situation.

At the same time, these portrayals, particularly Dane, may have been too real for me. I absolutely appreciate it, but I felt the depths of Dane's anger, disillusionment, and emotional pain were explored at great length yet not balanced out by enough time spent on redemptive or cathartic moments. I know real life doesn't always wrap up in a bow, but I felt like too much was left unresolved at the end, especially the texts to his "Dad." That plot point in particular seemed to be built up just to fizzle out. The slight resolution to the entire story seemed rushed, too.

Spears has a talent for writing teens, so I will definitely check out her other books. There's absolutely value and a need for serious young adult books like this; however, the exhausting emotional content in this one and its lack of a stronger resolution might be too overwhelming for some kids, particularly those who are dealing with similar mental struggles.