Review Detail

Theirs is something so sweet and genuine about this book. It’s a story of bullying but that isn’t all it is.
Joshua is in middle school and for three years he has suffered at the hands of the school bullies. They’ve spread vicious rumors, making all the other kids steer clear of him, and he gets to look forward to weekly beatings. Joshua is alone- that is, until the day that the popular Eve is assigned to be his lab partner. Eve’s popularity doesn’t last for long as her feelings towards Joshua deepen. They are outcasts but they are together.

Throughout the story, Joshua and Eve making other friends here and there and the heart of the book is in overcoming the bullies and changing their school.

I typically cringe when young people say they are in “love”. Most 14 year olds don’t know what that means. The love between Joshua and Eve is so innocent and loyal that I can’t help but root for them. Their love makes them brave when everything and everyone else is against them. Their love draws other people to them. It’s really something special. It may not be love as we think of it (that love develops over time) but it is love all the same.

This is one of those books that you just feel good about the world when you finish reading. The good persevere and the bad gets what’s coming. It’s simple, yet it opens your eyes to a problem that goes on in a lot of schools with a lot of young people. That’s why this book hits you so hard- you know there are kids going through this and you just hope they have friends like Joshua and Eve and Kelsey.