This book was a surprise. I'm one of those "judge a book by their cover" type people. I did not expect this book to be as intense or as heartbreaking as it was, based on this cover. Honestly, I kind of wish they would change it a little, simply because I can't see any of the guys I know, or knew, reading this in public. They probably wouldn't even pick it up to see what it's about, let alone purchase it and read it, even though this is a book that needs to be read.

When I first cracked the covers, I didn't like it. The language at the beginning tried a little too hard to be "gangster" or "slang" filled, and it didn't work well for me. It gave me the impression that the book would be a mission to read. I didn't give up though, since I'm stubborn like that, and kept going. As the book went on, you could really see the characters starting to open up and reveal themselves to you.

The main character, Jason, really grows up throughout the novel. He starts out hating everything - the people at school who are "mourning" over his sister, his mother's withdrawal, this one girl who thinks hooking up is the same as mourning - and it drives his character throughout the first bit of the book. As he slowly gets over his loss, he turns his thoughts to other things - his friends, a girl who's caught his eye, his mother's health, his need to distract himself.

While there is romance in this book, there's also pain and loss, friendship and family, obligation and want. Even though there wasn't really a climax in this novel, or any revelation that changes the world and the school, and how I look at the world, it was a wonderful read. It was just life, the nitty gritty parts of reality that we often forget about, or wish that we could forget about. It shows us that it's the little things that change who we are and how we see one another and ourselves. This book is slow to develop, but once it starts the experience is 100% worth it. Honestly, I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I read this novel, but I loved it, and I think that people should give it a shot.

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall: 5/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.92/5

eARC obtained via St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.