First of all, I have to say that angsty books about young adults aren’t my cup of tea. However, I’ve read G Benson’s previous books which I liked a lot and decided to read this one. I’m glad I did because it’s a very good read.

Written in third person from the point of view of both characters, Ms. Benson deals with very difficult issues such as the fallouts of the foster care system, transsexualism, bisexuality, bereavement and generally the young adults struggle to grow up. The author tackles? all these issues with sensitivity and realism. All the characters, including the secondary ones are realistic and multilayered. The balance between showing and telling is spot on and the dialogues and situations are realistic.

My only criticism is that despite there was such detail in the description of emotions and headspace of the main characters, I cannot understand why the author doesn’t describe the sexual intimacy between the characters in more detail. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bothered with erotic descriptions for the sake of it, I just thought that it was more coherent with the book style. However, this didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the story.

Overall, a very good read even if you aren’t a fan of YA books. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.