ARC, 328 pages
Release Date: July 9, 2019Published by: Bloomsbury YA
Read from: July 5-7, 2019Stand-aloneSource: Publisher (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: Toxic family issuesFor fans of: Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Tough Issues, YA, Sparkly Covers
Small-town Wisconsin high school senior Allison Smith loves her life the way it is-spending quality time with her widowed father and her tight-knit circle of friends, including best friend Marian and maybe-more-than-friends Neil. Sure she is stressed out about college applications . . . who wouldn’t be? In a few short months, everything’s going to change, big time.
But when Ally files her applications, they send up a red flag . . . because she’s not Allison Smith. And Ally’s-make that Amanda’s-ordinary life is suddenly blown apart. Was everything before a lie? Who will she be after? And what will she do as now comes crashing down around her?
*MY THOUGHTS*
This book was not my first Eulberg novel, but it is definitely my favorite. It’s an emotional roller coaster that I know will shock everyone as they read it. This is an intense read, but its definitely worth the destruction of your emotions.
“Maybe that’s what happens when you have a painful past: you can only assume the future will be better. The old wounds are too painful- there’s no point in picking at them.“pg. 48-49
Allison has lived a nice normal life with her dad in Wisconsin. She’s starting to get ready for college and hanging out with her best friends and her crush, Neil. But her perfect life starts to unravel as she fills out applications to college. She’s suddenly not Allison Smith and her life is suddenly alot more hectic than she ever knew. What is she supposed to do now?
“Everything I have ever done has been because I love you.“pg. 73
This book did a number on my emotions. This is a very intense read that made me immediately want to read something light and fluffy after this. There is so much gray area in this book and I felt like I had whiplash when I was reading trying to decide which side I felt bad for. In the end I just felt bad for everyone involved. Except one person. I don’t think there’s anything that could make me feel better about that one person.
“It’s hard to believe that kind of love can turn sour.“pg. 124
As for the plot, I liked the way it flowed. It was a bit repetitive, but the entire thing gripped me and wouldn’t let me go. I read the first half of this book in a single sitting. And I literally mean half the book. It’s a stressful subject, but I had so much fun reading it.
“I wonder if remembering my past will stop me from being so uneasy about my future. “pg. 183
The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is the characters. I know everyone grieves in their own way, but everyone at some point got on my nerves. Literally no one was trying to listen to the other and it was driving me insane. I didn’t feel that they really started listening to each other until literally the last 5 pages. And that frustrated me. But again, like I said, there’s a lot of gray area in this book and literally everyone is to blame when really only ONE person is to blame smh
“Relationships are built over time, not forced.“pg. 238
This book is intense yes, but it is the worth the read. It will make you think about it long after you’ve turned the last page. Jut like I did.
Overall, I give this
