I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t get into it. The story moved at a glacial pace even though very little time seemed to be spent getting to know the characters or developing Sparrow’s relationship with Tristan.
Some of the dialogue between characters was so forced I almost DNF’d. The scenes where Tristan first encounters Sparrow and when he picks her up for their first date were especially bad. I don’t think teenagers speak the way Sparrow and Tristan do, and I don’t think adults speak to their children the way Sparrow’s father did to her before she went on her date. I honestly didn’t know if he was joking or being a jerk when he told her Tristan was ugly. It was cringeworthy.
I do applaud the author though for tackling difficult issues like violence, assault, and abuse. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t as moved or disturbed as I should have been and probably would have been if the writing had been better.