Sydney has always lived in the shadow of her older brother, Peyton. He was always the charming one, the daring one, the crowd-pleaser. But as they grew up, Peyton started to act out. What started with minor rule-breaking culminated in a drunk driving conviction that left a teenage boy paralyzed. Now, Peyton’s in prison and Sydney has to learn to navigate her very different world.
Sarah Dessen was one of my favorite authors when I was in high school. Just Listen, The Truth About Forever, This Lullaby, Someone Like You… they were all at the top of my list. It feels like I was always checking out one of her books from the library or walking to the Bookworld on Main Street to buy one if I had some spare cash. At some point – 2006, it seems – I stopped reading her books. I’m not really sure why, but I’m glad that I got this book for Christmas one year and I’m even happier that I picked it up now.
This book is classic Sarah Dessen. The emotions, the character-driven stories, it’s all there. All of the characters are so well-developed that I feel like I could drive up to a local high school and find them eating lunch together. This is an emotional book focusing on family connections and the deep friendships that form out of nowhere. It’s a book that starts off slowly and then hooks you to the point where you can hardly put it down.
Highly recommended.
Final rating: ★★★★★
#killingthetbr: 15 months on shelf
The Bibliophagist 