Nobody But Us

by Kristin Halbrook

[Angie]

I received an ARC through Edelweiss.

I immediately knew I wanted to read Nobody But Us. It sounded like one of those heart breaking, gut wrenching stories that I love so much. I was also hoping on shedding some tears. Well, this book is sad, but I didn’t cry. In fact, the end left me feeling confused. I read this straight through in one afternoon, so I did enjoy it. It had me hooked from the beginning, but I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending and the book as a whole.

The story follows Zoe and Will, two very damaged teenagers who are in love and want to get away from their lives. Will just turned 18, so he’s been kicked out of his group home. He’s leaving and he takes his 15 year old girlfriend with him, since she’s abused by her alcoholic father. They’re excited to run away together and be free, but Will also spends their whole trip paranoid about the past catching up with him. He’s made some awful mistakes, and makes even bigger ones once they’ve crossed a few state lines.

I had this horrible feeling the entire time I was reading. I knew something awful was going to happen. Then about half way through, things appeared to be looking up. I started feeling hopeful right along with Zoe and Will. Then things take a turn for the worse. It was clear from the beginning that their story could not end well, but I didn’t want things to go the way they did. I was actually mad at Zoe near the end. I know she does the right thing, but I was so emotionally invested in these two, that I couldn’t believe what happened.

At the end I was mad, confused, and sad. I expected a bad ending, but not what actually happened. It was shocking, but also unsatisfying. It seemed like a shock ending for the sake of a shock ending. There is a hint of hope at the end, so that’s good. I just wanted something more out this book, but I didn’t get it. It’s still a worthwhile read though.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.