This was such a fast read. I feel like I opened to page one and then all of a sudden it was over. I credit the author with great writing, on that front. I didn't even notice how fast I was reading. And that speaks to a few other things as well...the level of dialogue, pacing, and general language was high, because there was never a time where I felt like cringing or ever actively thinking about those pieces of the story. For YA, I really appreciate that, because I've read my fair share of books with issue like that in this genre. Overall, there's been an increase in quality in YA recently, and I've really liked that. In any case, there was nothing about this book that I particularly didn't like, and it dealt openly and honestly with some really difficult topics. And that is something I love seeing in this genre. This is the exact population reading these books and to know that this happens to other people, even if it's fictional - I mean I just really cannot say enough how important it is to address these types of topics. So on that front, this was a tough read. Let me be very clear: though I am about to talk about a few things that didn't quite work for me, this is not in any way a reflection on the challenges these characters face or how that relates to things we face in real life. These are horrible things to read about. And child abuse is by far one of the worst. Again, credit to the author for handling it so openly. I loved the different points of view that we get to see - the person experiencing the abuse, his friends, other adults around him, etc. It's also a bit haunting to see how many danger signals go unnoticed (I mean, even if people look at them suspiciously, still so many things go unaddressed). And then even when things are obvious, they are not always handled in the healthiest way. And that's so much a part of why we need more books like this. It needs to be normalized and able to be talked about. Brava Robin Roe. But there were some things that just didn't feel right for me - Adam's always "knowing" seems too easy. I mean it's an adorable part of the story and I love the closeness that grows between Adam and Julian, but it's just a little too perfect of a relationship for me to believe. And Adam's intuition a few times leads to discoveries, etc. that are pivotal for the story, but, again, his "knowing" comes through as a bit flimsy as a plot device. Also, with Adam's inclusion of Julian with his friends and their general reactions to that seem slightly too stereotyped. Similarly, the ending is just very...clean...considering. I'm not talking about Julian's recovery - that's clearly portrayed as long and arduous, as I assume it would be, but other parts involving Russell...maybe too easy. I think that some of those issues really held me back from connecting completely with the characters - it was more like reading a story from afar, where you sympathize with everyone, recognize the horror, but cannot quite fully connect. However, I read a little about the author's life and perhaps this is based on things she has seen - sometimes life is more fantastic than fiction. Regardless, this was a well put together novel, a quick read, a great exploration of dealing with child abuse and childhood trauma from multiple perspectives, and a beautiful story of the relationship between two boys/friends/brothers.