4.75 stars
I picked up this book because it was marketed as similar to Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, and I can agree that it went there. Rather than focusing on healing from rape/sexual assault, like speak, Sparrow follows a girl, Savannah Rose (aka Sparrow), as she heals from a very abusive relationship. Not only is this story told from Sparrow's perspective as she deals with the aftermath of her abuse, it is also told from the perspective of her best friend. This other perspective shows how hard it is to be on the outside trying to help someone in an abusive relationship that doesn't want/won’t accept your help. Both perspectives are beautifully written and tear at the heart strings.
One of the issues I had with this novel is how Sophie was written and introduced. For a lot of the book, I thought that she was Sparrow's dad's girlfriend. It turns out that Sophie is actually Sparrow's aunt (her dad's sister). This was not made clear enough from the beginning.
If you're looking to really cry, I suggest listening to the audiobook because the emotions these narrators were able to bring to the characters was amazing. If you only want to cry a little, then I suggest reading it instead. Either way, You're going to cry.
Content warning: domestic violence, child abuse, physical and emotional abuse, grief, loss of a parent
I picked up this book because it was marketed as similar to Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, and I can agree that it went there. Rather than focusing on healing from rape/sexual assault, like speak, Sparrow follows a girl, Savannah Rose (aka Sparrow), as she heals from a very abusive relationship. Not only is this story told from Sparrow's perspective as she deals with the aftermath of her abuse, it is also told from the perspective of her best friend. This other perspective shows how hard it is to be on the outside trying to help someone in an abusive relationship that doesn't want/won’t accept your help. Both perspectives are beautifully written and tear at the heart strings.
One of the issues I had with this novel is how Sophie was written and introduced. For a lot of the book, I thought that she was Sparrow's dad's girlfriend. It turns out that Sophie is actually Sparrow's aunt (her dad's sister). This was not made clear enough from the beginning.
If you're looking to really cry, I suggest listening to the audiobook because the emotions these narrators were able to bring to the characters was amazing. If you only want to cry a little, then I suggest reading it instead. Either way, You're going to cry.
Content warning: domestic violence, child abuse, physical and emotional abuse, grief, loss of a parent