Young AdultPages: 304
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: September 8, 2011
An urban romance that will capture your soul, break your heart, and restore your faith in the human spirit
Fifteen-year-olds Cece and Mack didn't expect to fall in love. She's a sensitive A student; he's a high school dropout. But soon they're spending every moment together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their secrets, making plans for the future. Everything is perfect. Until. Until. Mack makes a horrible mistake, and in just a few minutes, the future they'd planned becomes impossible. In this stark new reality, both of them must find meaning and hope in the memories of what they had, to survive when the person they love can't stay.
Holy cow! This was gruesome. And POTENT. Hell, it frekin' hit me in the gut. HARD. Auch. But it was AH-mazing!! I had never read anything by this author before. This was a step-out-of-your-comfort-zone read all over. From the writing to the setting, and from the characters to the story. Step out of your comfy apartment and step into the black world of the streets. A whole new reality for me. Griffin made everything come alive. Every single character was unique and perfectly done. Impeccable setting.
Insanely gut-wrenching. Like, clawed-my-heart-out kind. I was so emotionally invested from the start that I could literally not let go of the book. And not because I couldn't stop reading--it's not really action packed-- but I just didn't want to. How can I, when the characters followed me around in my head. I swear it was haunting in a whole new way.
So just to be clear, it is dark and raw and comes straight from the ghetto neighborhoods we sometimes fear. This is just to say that there is pretty explicit sex, crimes, and uh, just a bit of everything. But I think it's a love story like no other. Not just a love story between two characters but also a love story with a passion. And I loved Mack and all, but if you don't fall for Anthony, you are made of stone. Please someone go find Anthony for me! He was just... wow.
I also have to add that the cover is perfect. It fits the story so well and it captures the essence of the whole plot on a single picture. Which is exactly what every cover should be.
Overall, I loved this book way too much. With its weird down-to-the-point writing and eerily realistic characters, I'd say it falls in with my faves of 2011.
