Review Detail

A story of love that spans a childhood.

The story:
Spencer is a lonely boy with Tourette's when he meets Hope. He's learned to categorize people into the ones who make fun of him or shy away from him and the ones who don't. To his surprise, Hope is the latter. She is everything he needs. A friend, a protector, a confident. But growing up tends to complicate relationships between boys and girls. As they age, Spencer falls deeper in love with the friend he thinks will never be his. They go through many years of heartache until they're ready to finally be who they're meant to be.

What I loved:
This book made me cry and I love to cry when reading because it means I've made an emotional connection. There are things that happen in these pages that just gut the reader. It's easy to feel sorry for Spencer. There's so much emotion packed into these pages. A lot of the things that happen are things anyone who is or has been a teenager can relate to. The author perfectly depicts those awkward years.
The best part was the treatment of Spencer's Tourettes. Anyone who has ever been different can relate. The reader gets an inside look at every cruel remark or embarrassing moment and Spencer's strength in dealing with them.

What was just okay:
Neither Spencer or Hope were particularily likable, especially Hope - even before the tragedy. So much of the drama could have been cleared up with just a little honesty and some of the things she did or choices she made didn't make much sense.
The book is written in quite a young style for characters who are having some of the raw experiences for the first time. That being said, I still read it in one day.

Final Verdict:
A cute story of longing throughout the awkward teenage years that packs an enormous amount of emotional punch.