Paper Girl

by Cindy Wilson

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Jackson was homeless, and Zoe never left her home. When their online lives clash with their real world lives, they both may find the courage they need to tackle their respective issues.

• Pro: I really liked Jackson. He was forced to take on grown up responsibilities sooner than he should have due to his mother's death and his father's alcoholism. This could have made him jaded or bitter, but he didn't let it get him down. He kept his focus on his future and kept pushing ahead.

• Pro: This book was pro therapy, but it didn't show it without any shortcomings. Zoe was on her 6th therapists, and she made a game out of how many times they used the word "cope". But, when she found the right therapists, changes started happening.

• Pro: Zoe's family was very present in this book, but they were not perfect. I thought their imperfect reactions and responses to Zoe's agoraphobia were realistic. It's a difficult thing to see your loved one withdraw from the world, but at least they were there for her, and they never gave up on supporting her. I also liked that Zoe's agoraphobia wasn't the result of some BIG trauma. It just slowly grew from everyday things.

• Con: Oddly enough, as Zoe started to sort of take charge of things, I felt like the pacing was off. I am not sure about what happened, but it did get better towards the end.

• Pro: I enjoyed the chats between BlackKNIGHT and Rouge2015. Their banter was fun and honest as they hid behind their screen names, and it was great seeing the relationship between those two grow alongside the IRL relationship of Zoe and Jackson.

• Pro: The romance was pretty adorable. These two had been mutually interest in each other prior to Zoe's dropping out of school. Jackson was very sweet and patient with Zoe, and they both gave each other little nudges in positive directions.

• Pro: Jackson's story was heartbreaking, and we got peeks at the emotional toll it was taking on him, but thank you, Cindy Wilson, for giving him such a hopeful resolution.

Overall: A thoughtful look at two struggling teens, who were able to find the strength and courage to overcome their obstacles.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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