I saw a lot of my life in this novel. Tish Choen captured Bean, a young girl with nonverbal learning disorder (NLD), beautifully. NLD is a disorder that has a lot of similarity to Autism, but is not Autism. I will not get into the semantics (although I totally could).

I search out books whose main character's are different, and to see characters with Autism (or in this case NLD) is exciting. Everyone wants to see someone that they can relate to. Except usually I am left feeling very disappointed. There is too much stereotype and not enough characterization. Not in this novel.

I loved the characters. I loved Bean. I loved her frantic father. I loved Rachel who is too uptight for her own good. I even loved Rachel's children.

The writing is amazing. The plot is intricate and detailed - and yes there is a lot going on. The ending was enough to make me cry. I do not cry when I read - usually.

Not everyone is going to relate to this book as strongly as I do. However, even if you do not, it is still a good heartwarming book.