Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Using an intimate first-person narrative and alternating between the past and present, Dwyer celebrates found family in this emotionally layered and strikingly romantic debut. With her father in and out of jail and her mother often disappearing without notice, Ellis Truman spent most of her Indiana childhood with classmate Easton Albrey and his family. After taking Ellis, then 11, under their wing, the Albreys--which include Easton's mother, father, and brothers Dixon and Tucker--essentially raise her as their own. When she's 15, Ellis realizes that she's fallen in love with Easton, but following an incident, Ellis, now 18, is living with her aunt in California. Though she and Easton haven't spoken since she left, Tucker encourages Ellis to accompany him home for their mother's 50th birthday. Ellis's melancholy present, juxtaposed with scenes from her joyful past, provide insight into her struggles navigating conflicting loyalties to her biological family and the Albreys. The narrative's alternating timelines and the slowly unfolding mystery behind Ellis and Easton's fallout introduces intrigue and palpable tension between intricately characterized, presumably all white, characters. Ages 14--up. Agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic. (May)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up--It's been a year since Ellis was banished to the West Coast; a year of being cut off from her best friend and love, Easton Albrey. She's freshly graduated from high school when Easton's brother Tucker Albrey swoops back into Ellis's life and convinces her to return to their small town in Indiana for his mother's 50th birthday bash. Going back means facing the heartache and betrayal that obliterated her life last summer and Ellis isn't sure she'll survive it. Debut author Dwyer conceives a touching romance between two teens, whose inseparable bond is tested by calamitous events. Flashbacks of Ellis from ages 11 to 17 creates the groundwork for the beautiful, complicated, and messy connections Ellis has with her parents, the Albreys, and Easton. Ellis's fractured relationship with her family reveals the struggle of obligation vs. happiness, which seamlessly plays into the underlying tension in the novel of the haves (the Albreys) and the have nots (Ellis). This, in turn, drives home the notion that nurture--or the environment in which one is raised--affects how one construes and reacts to situations. Ellis's upbringing has made her emotionally blinded by self-doubt, which, when mixed with Easton's earnestly privileged outlook, implodes their relationship. It's only when both realize and face the mistakes made that they're woven back together. Readers will desperately root for Ellis and Easton in this unforgettable romance. All characters read white. VERDICT A perfectly emotional read for fans of Nicola Yoon and Becky Albertalli, this coming-of-age romance is one not to miss.--Emily Walker
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
After a year away, Ellis returns home to confront her past. Graduating from high school far from everything familiar was not part of Ellis Truman's original plans, but she nevertheless ended up spending her senior year with her aunt in California. In Indiana, Ellis practically grew up with the Albrey family and their three tightknit sons, Dixon, Tucker, and Easton. Now, Tucker wants her to return home for matriarch Sandry Albrey's 50th birthday celebration on the Fourth of July--but Ellis is dreading seeing Easton, as they haven't talked since she left. Chapters alternate between past and present, and much of the story unravels slowly: How did she come to live with the Albreys? What caused Ellis to then end up in San Diego? What happened in her relationship with Easton? Patient readers will find the heartfelt tension pays off. With her father in and out of jail and an absent mother, socio-economic differences separating Ellis from the middle-class Albreys don't go unnoticed, and Ellis' down-to-earth journey shows how she unpacks her feelings about her relationship with her parents. The slow-build romance is swoonworthy, and young adult fans of Colleen Hoover seeking emotional devastation and unforgettable characters will find much to enjoy here. Characters read as White. A powerful tale of found family and first love. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
