I read the opening pages years ago when the book first came out. I remembered them wrong. I remembered them as clever and dynamic and yearning and exquisitely poignant in a way I didn't think could be captured again. The real pages weren't bad, but they weren't that.
The thing I like about this book is that it's real and it's honest but it's not ugly. It goes through difficult things with a shine (it is LA after all) and satisfying and sad moments. I like Cole so much and even his torment is kind of attractive. Jeremy is fantastic and exactly what the story needs. And Isabel is confounding but also kind of wonderful with her sharp edges. It's the sort of book I wouldn't expect to like but crafted in just the right ways to draw you in and make you want to stay.