This was a great novel with a powerful message and vivid imagery. I loved it ant I couldnt put it down

This was a really challenging novel to read, dealing with addiction and the impact that it has upon families and those closest to the 'addict'.

Emory is the unnoticed sibling in her family, her parents (and society) noticing her beautiful sister, Maddie, and her brother Joey, whose addiction played a significant role in the death of a fellow student.

It was an interesting choice from the writer to write from the perspective of the Emory rather than Joey, choosing to highlight the impact of addiction on the family.

I felt very much for Emory, the expectations placed on her by her parents were completely unrealistic and she seemed to be expected to maintain her grades, maintain her brothers sobriety and deal with being a teenage girl as well and all that goes with it.

I also like the fact that Glasgow does not romanticise addiction and recovery. There is no off-to-rehab-and-become-cured story here, the long term effect of addiction is laid bare and Glasgow writes well and brutally from what I understand is her own experience.

A thoroughly enjoyable read but also hard hitting and heart breaking at times.

Thanks to Oneworld publications and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read Glasgow's other books and whilst neither of them were ones that particularly engaged or moved be I obviously enjoyed them enough to continue picking up her new ones. This is the first one that I didn't finish, most likely if I was reading it as a physical format I would've pushed myself but a book that's 'just fine' doesn't really warrant the eye strain I get from reading it digitally. I often feel an emotional disconnect from her characters that hampers me from getting anything out of her books, particularly since they deal with such heavy topics, and I've found that her books often gear towards the more cliche/preachy messages surrounding these topics. My main issue probably with this was that I was a third of the way through and everything was moving so slowly, but not at the benefit of character analysis/development (i'm quite happy to have a low plot story if it mean strong character exploration). I think I've probably gotten all I can out of Glasgow's books at this stage but it will still be one I hand sell to teens at our store as there's a demand for books on topics such as this and I believe younger readers will be able to learn and get more from it.

Now, this is a <b>good</b> book. I feel like I also haven’t read one of those for a while which is why I am so glad I enjoyed this book as much as I did.

<i>Don’t get me wrong, this book is a hard read and I would recommend looking at the trigger warnings for this book before reading, but it’s definitely worth the read.</i>

- Emory was such a relatable character. I could genuinely feel everything she felt and I wanted to reach in and honestly just hold her hand.
- I loved the substance abuse representation in this book and how Kathleen didn’t shy away from how difficult the subject is to tackle. She made it seem real and depicted the struggles and ups and down not only of the person struggling with said addiction, but for the family and friends who have to go through it with them. I really appreciated seeing a story told from this perspective and it really made me think in ways I don’t think I would have before picking up this book.
- I liked the plot a lot and I liked how this book wasn’t drummed down with romance and was focused on the importance of <b>friendship and family.</b> This felt incredibly refreshing to read. On that note, I despised what Emory had with Gage.
- The writing, like Kathleen’s other books was incredible and the pacing was done so well. I read this in a sitting and I haven’t stopped thinking of it since.

I highly recommend and think it is an important read.
<i>I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>