Things I Liked:
- The characters were fabulous and multi-faceted. Kelsey was very flawed, but still likable. You could see that she was coming from a place of genuine concern even when you wanted to grab her, shake her shoulders, and scream in her face. She exhibited some amazing character growth during the course of the book too! Then there's Peter, and my goodness, how could I not swoon over him? He was such a sweet guy, but with so many problems of his own- I mean, he was fighting in war torn countries and stuff, how could he not?
Plus there is actual family interaction in this book! It isn't just Kelsey trying to figure out what to do next, it's the whole family learning to function in the world without Michelle. It's both heartbreaking and hopeful, and absolutely refreshing. - The emotions were heavy and I liked it. I mean, just think of the key words in the synopsis: Twin sister dies, Boyfriend deployed to Afghanistan.. how would you not have a huge case of the feels? A sibling dying would be horrific, but I think it really does hit twins harder. And poor Peter... he is not only literally fighting for his life in some forsaken desert, he doesn't even know that his girlfriend is dead! But there are other emotions too, this isn't all full of tears. There are lighthearted moments, and moments where you (again) want to shake Kelsey, and a lot of moments of pride for how far the characters have come.
- I really loved the writing. It was beautiful, and considering the subject matter, it was important for it to be so. It flowed very well, and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I could hardly put the book down, because I was so eager to continue on the journey with Kelsey.
My problem:
I really only had one problem with this story, in a sense, because it all falls under the same heading: Believability. The first thing that I didn't quite understand is how it didn't seem like a lot of people were really that concerned about Michelle's death, outside of her family. I mean, maybe we just didn't see that part, but I would have liked to know it existed. My other, much more major believability issue was that a lot of things tied together a bit too easily for my liking throughout the story. I have to be very vague here, but some reactions didn't make sense, some conclusions didn't make sense, and some things were way too coincidental for me to believe.
Bottom Line: I did like this a lot, and I think it is absolutely worth the read, especially if unrealistic bits don't bother you. Even if they do, I think the story itself and the lovely characters and writing make this book worth it!
**Thanks to Novl Newsletter for the review copy**
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight