( )

Unfortunately, this was disappointing. The plot dynamic was interesting, but character choices were odd. Nothing much else to say. ( )

This is not my kind of book -- Teen angst, anger, crazy bad decisions and crazy good ones and all the pain, pain, pain of growing up. If this were my kind of book, I would be all over loving it, because it does what it does supremely well, and Althea and Oliver are both very real.

Hate the smoking. Hate that boys are asshats. Love the confusion and the fierceness and the anger. There's some clever and vivid language --the fat mouse and the id without the lid among them.

Not as glamourous as Perks, or as funny as TFIOS but really strong.

Advanced copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

Two best friends, two roles:
The crazy one,
The normal one.
They need each other, to know who they are,
Where they fit in the world.

But what happens
When one needs the other more?
When roles seem to be reversed?
When one disappears?
What then?

Unknown future…
Separation…
Growth...
Resolution?

This book broke my heart over and over, yet I could not stop reading it. I'll be thinking about this book for a long while. And the more I think about it, the more I remember. One of the things that shocked me so much was the casual drug and alcohol use. I realize that many kids are just like Althea and Oliver and their friends, but I wasn’t used to seeing it in a novel this way. I had a hard time breaking up with this book. It took me a few days to be ready to read another one. Even though I had some already started.

My favorite character quotes/descriptions:

Althea--”Oliver has always suggested that she try lacrosse or field hockey because she might enjoy a sport where she is given a stick and instructed to wield it against others, but she isn’t interested in teamwork or strategy.” (p. 21)

Oliver--”Oliver’s what everyone calls a ’smart kid,’ the kind you show your math homework to so he can check the answers right before class starts.” (p. 28)

Coby--”He’s the kind of guy who just keeps showing up until no one remembers who was friends with him first, so when you figure out you don’t like him, you don’t want to say anything, because you’re afraid you might offend whoever brought him along.” (p. 97) ( )

4.5

So much to say about this when I can gather all my thoughts. All I can say at the moment is God Bless the train-wrecks. I've known so many in my day and walked tiny portions of their path in trepidation. ( )