The conflicted emotions are portrayed with a rawness that forces the reader to think, “What if?” the novel also succeeds in presenting the situation in a judgment-free manner. There is no editorializing on Stinson’s part, and the story’s conclusion is left up in the air, allowing readers to form their own opinions of what should happen next.

In a YA landscape littered with dystopia, urban fantasy, and romantic fiction Stinson offers an important wake-up call to young readers that there is more to life, and that it’s not always easy.