Review Detail

Sync is a book that is told in dual perspectives from Lake and her brother, storm. This book takes you through Lake’s journey in a religious foster home and then as she is kicked out when her foster parent finds her in a compromising position with her girlfriend Parker. It also follows Storm as he is with a foster family who supports and loves him but due to an altercation as he protects his girlfriend, Storm ends up in juvenile detention and we watch his journey through there.

What I liked: I appreciate the writing style of this book and found that it made for a great audiobook. I really liked that the book goes back and forth between Lake and Storm, and we get to see what is happening in both of their lives. I also appreciated the way the author tackled some of the harder topics in this book and how certain things affect those around the person. This book covers sexual assault, suicide, addiction, family, loss, grief, homophobia, and more.

I also liked reading as Lake and Parker’s relationship develops through the book and we get to see the challenges that they face because of their queerness. I also really enjoyed seeing Storm develop his relationship with his foster parents and how supportive they are of him. Through both Lake and Storm you see how their past impacts their relationships with others and how difficult it can be to trust others in their lives.

What left me wanting more: While I enjoyed the writing style of this book and liked having it go back and forth between the two perspectives, there was some things that I wasn’t a fan of. The biggest thing about this book was the fact that anything that could go wrong did for both of our main characters. It seems that they had everything that happens to foster children happen to them and like they were just statistics. Now this book doesn’t have to be happy and upbeat the whole time, but it would’ve been nice to feel that there was some hope for our main characters. While the depictions may be reality for foster children this book felt more like a display of a google search about negative stuff foster children face.

Final Verdict: Sync is a book that young adults will enjoy reading but may have to put down because of the heavy topics that are addressed throughout the book. Individuals who have enjoyed Ellen Hopkins other books will also enjoy reading this one as the writing style is similar. This book will speak to audiences ages 13+ as there are moments that many people can relate to and there are also moments in which you can’t help but root for our characters.