This book absolutely deserves all the stars, and I’m calling it now—it will be one of my top reads of the year. This story hit me with all the feels. I laughed, I cried, I even yelled—it's that emotional. 

I’ll admit, I initially picked it up based on the cover alone last year, even though we all know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But it was the only reason I grabbed it, as I hadn’t heard of it before. Boy, am I glad I did.

The story revolves around Pumpkin, a 14-year-old girl who is unbelievably strong despite the challenges she faces. Her mom is awful, and though her grandma and aunt are a source of support, Pumpkin is eventually left to face things largely on her own. This is such an amazing coming-of-age story, and the emotional depth is just incredible.

I’m struggling to even put into words how much I loved this book. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I couldn’t put it down—I just had to know what would happen next to Pumpkin. My suggestion? Skip the synopsis. It gives away way too much. Go in knowing you'll experience a beautiful and heartbreaking story that you won’t forget. Trust me, it’s worth it.

A big thank you to my friend Kelsea for mentioning she was picking this one up. We had such a wonderful time reading it together and sharing our thoughts along the way!