A Darker Shade of Rosie's Review of Me Since You

by Laura Wiess

Oh c'mon, Dad, nothing's going to happen.

And for sixteen year-old Rowan Areno, shielded by her parents from the dark side of life, nothing bad usually does…until that last Friday in March when Rowan cuts school for a day of fun-and a random stranger's shocking crime sets a traumatic series of events into motion that will change her life forever.

The crime video goes viral, the cruel, relentless aftermath threatening Rowan, her family, and Eli, a witness haunted by losses of his own. But when tragedy strikes, shattering Rowan's world and destroying all she thought was true, not even Eli can protect her from the devastation.

Her life now divided into Before and After, Rowan struggles to survive, searching for answers, and desperate to make sense of what remains. She discovers that everyone grieves differently, though, and the path to love and forgiveness isn't simple or straightforward. Will she carry these emotional wounds with her forever, or with Eli's help, can she learn to trust, hope and believe in happiness again?

Me Since You is Laura Wiess at her finest-a beautiful, gripping, and painfully honest examination of love, loss, and a family in crisis.

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Thank you NetGalley for lending me a copy of this book in exchange for a review!

→ LIKED: The book is split into two parts: the before, and the after. • This book seriously had me in tears because of a similar experience I had in my family. Though the way of death was the exact opposite, it still put a strain on my family and way of life. • From just reading the Goodreads blurb, you can't quite tell what the books has in store for your feelings, but believe me, they get pretty shredded. • In the after, while Rowan's family crumbles around her, it hurt to see her push everyone away. Her best friend, Nadia (though, really, I started to despise her - she was selfish), Eli, and even her mom sometimes. They both hurt inside, but as I can attest from personal experience, everyone grieves differently.

→ DISLIKED: The love interest felt pretty scarce in the after, it seemed like. I know Rowan was healing and Eli was doing his own thing, but I wished there were more of him. But what he did was really respectable and you could really tell he cared for Rowan by the way he was around her.

→ CONCLUSION: I really appreciated the closure the author gave to us, and to Rowan! If it hadn't ended like it did, I would've been really upset. It was a good book, and I don't regret the soggy eyes it gave me!

Me Since You

by Laura Wiess

Reviewed by A Darker Shade of Rosie on Sep 2, 2014

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