So I just love reading novellas. They give me insight into so much about the author as well as how the author builds characters. A novella must move fast because in a short time you must complete the story ARC. I have no idea how authors even do it, but I have to give them credit. And McGarry is no exception. I truly love this side story of Lila Lincoln.

We do meet Lila in Pushing the Limits as she is one of Echo's friends. But we don't get a ton from her during that book as it's truly Echo and Noah's story. In this short we get to see a bit of Lila and her overcoming her fear of being alone and taking chances And we meet Lincoln, Lila's pen-pal and confidant. They share a tragic past that linked them together two years ago and chose to use each other as sounding boards for their life events. I love that she and Lincoln form this relationship via the mail. It's romantic and so different from what we see with teens today (internet, email, Twitter, texting). I can remember having a pen pal as a teen and it was so much fun. But Lila and Lincoln form more than just a friendship through their letters. They allow each other into their private worlds through words where no one else knows the things the talk about. They express themselves to each other, telling their deepest darkest secrets. They have an ease communicating through their letters.
But when they meet face to face, things are not as easy as they were through the written word. Both Lincoln and Lila become so much more vulnerable and real to each other. And, while they both feel deeply towards each other, they no longer have that distance between them to make things easy. They are forced to face their feelings and show each other exactly what has grown between them.

Overall I truly loved this novella. You knew the outcome it would have, but you still wanted to go through the motions of watching Lila and Lincoln figure each other out. And, despite the shortness of the story, you do see some growth, although more from Lila than Lincoln, in my opinion. Lila embraces her fear and decides to face it head on. Lincoln, on the other hand, lopes along a bit before he comes to the realization that he has to take control of his life back show Lila he means to honor their bond.

I highly recommend this great snip it by McGarry. She has truly changed my thoughts on contemporary YA books!