Description
Nell knows a secret about her perfect, beautiful sister Layla. If she tells, it could blow their world apart.When Nell and Layla were little, Nell used to call them Nellaya. Because to Nell, there was no difference between where she started and her adored big sister ended. They're a unit; divorce made them rely on each other early on, so when one pulls away, what is the other to do? But now, Nell's a freshman in high school and Layla is changing, secretive. And then Nell discovers why. Layla is involved with one of their teachers. And even though Nell tries to support Layla, to understand that she's happy and in love, Nell struggles with her true feelings: it's wrong, and she must do something about it.
My Impressions
This book was a lot better then what I expected it to be. I had put off reading it and when I actually picked it up I was surprised how it sucked me into the story so easily. This was a really sweet book about the depth of sisterly bonds and all the crap you will go through together and put up from one another. Although I do not approve o any teacher/student relationships, I can also understand Nell not snitching on her sister out of desperation for her approval and love. Layla on the other hand, I detested from the get go. Not only does she have an affair with her teacher, she tries to suck everyone else into covering up for her and then wonders why she feels like crap when things go wrong. Then again she does not want to hear about her wrongs, just others. In this regard the author did a really nice job of developing characters that you could really develop some strong emotions towards. Told by Nell’s point of view the story gives us a glimpse of sacrifices made for family and friendships.
Being a YA novel, there is a wonderful
sense of self-discovery and growth throughout the book that teens can relate to.
Nell discovers how her decisions have consequences and is forced to make some
tough decisions that will alter her life and those that love her. Although she
handles some of these lessons in a mature way, sometimes she falls into some very
immature decisions. I really enjoyed
watching the friendship between Nell and Felix blossom throughout the book and
it was actually one of the more enjoyable friendships playing the advocate for
Nell and stretching her to think beyond in her decisions.
A complimentary copy of this
book was provided by the publisher, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest
review
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DANA REINHARDT is the author of A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, Harmless, How to Build a House, The Things a Brother Knows, The Summer I Learned to Fly, and Odessa Again. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and their two daughters.
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