Being Toffee

by Sarah Crossan

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

I have truly never been this moved by a novel in verse before. Never, ever. Usually even if I really enjoy one, I have a slight disconnect, but not in this case. Being Toffee won me over completely. It's an incredibly intense (and I'll go ahead and put a trigger warning here for abuse before we start) story about a young woman named Allison who runs away from home to escape the abuse her father has been inflicting on her. In running though, she finds herself homeless, and a quest to find a place to be safe and sheltered becomes her primary concern.

When she thinks she finds a place to rest, it turns out it's not empty, but occupied by an elderly woman with dementia who happens to think Allison her old friend Toffee. And look, from the sound of it, I was iffy! You can't help but think "okay am I really going to feel for this girl who's messing with a dementia patient?" but I promise it isn't like that at all. It's so much more nuanced, and so full of heart and love and desperation. 

I felt so deeply for both Allison and Marla, grew to love and care for both women so much throughout the story. It's so much more than meets the eye, and the author does a phenomenal job developing the characters and the story with impeccable care. I also thought that the atmosphere and tone of the story were fabulous- it's set in a beach town, and it's definitely a well-painted picture. In addition, the author makes the emotions just ooze off the page.

The only minor qualm I had with the story was that I had wanted the ending to be a bit... more? But I also know from the authors' previous works that I think this is just how she does endings and I have to live with that! It's still worth it because the book is absolutely that good.

Bottom Line: At once a heartbreaking and heartwarming story, you simply will not be able to help falling in love with these characters and their story.