At times the brokenness and pain was hard to take but at the same time I couldn't put this book down. The author did such a good job of character development that you came to know Maya and Lucas intimately. And even the secondary characters, Maya's mom and Lucas' father were captured as tragically broken people. Maya was so driven by her past and her feelings of abandonment that she would do anything to help Lucas. She is tough and confused, broken and scarred, smart and crafty. Lucas is desperate and caught up in a world he has never been allowed to know. These two young people are thrown together by their circumstances and it's no surprise they form a tight bond. The last few chapters are breathtaking and frantic and the ending is definitely a surprise.