When I tell you I picked this up after seeing someone write a great review about it on Instagram without even looking to see what age range the characters were....I was SO nervous when I realized this was YA contemporary because I haven't read one in YEARS. These days I can't handle being in the heads of characters that much younger than me and I worry too much about ~mom things~ lol.
This story.....did not give me any of those vibes. It was about grief and healing and found family and my heart is aching just thinking about all of it. Maps's story was such a good reminder to me that everyone deals with the death of loved ones differently and how important it can be to find the people who are going to help you handle everything that entails.
That's not to say Maps, King, Books, Sugar, and Junior had an easy go of it. No. Their group was messy, fought, kept secrets from one another, and did a few terrible things. But....then....they grew to trust one another and also, just grew. There's a scene where they all come together at the end for Maps and I just...sobbed. It was lovely.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Maps and King, too. The way they were drawn to one another and the connection King ended up having with her (even if it caused a rift for some time).
If you're like me and typically don't read YA contemporaries anymore, throw that right out the window with this one...you won't regret it!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!♥
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