Teenage twins Storm and Lake have indeed seen it all--and none of it good--when it comes to their young lives. Children of an abusive mother, they're placed in foster care pretty early on. For much of that time they're together, and Storm is determined to protect his sister from everything. But after one particularly poor placement, they get separated to different homes, and their lives take a downward spiral from there.
I was first introduced to Ellen Hopkins with her middle grade novel in verse, Closer to Nowhere. I found that book to be absolutely beautiful, so I was eager to read her again when I saw Sync on BookishFirst. I haven't read any of her YA novels, but judging by their covers and subject matter, I'm sure they are just as dark as this one. I'm not sure I will be reading them after this.
The book isn't bad, and its poetic format makes it quick and easy to read. Each page is a new entry--alternating the perspectives of Storm and Lake. They're simple verses that would be accessible to any reader. But at times it felt like an exercise in masochism--there's maybe (?) a glimmer of hope on the very last page (whose open ended-ness made me want to scream), but everything that precedes it is just endless misery. Even the characters who offer a bright light (Josie, Ms. Bolton, for example) are touched by pain.
Yes, life for many people, is a struggle, and Sync shines a light on very real experiences. Some teenagers are forced into very adult situations, which are the sort of lives Storm and Lake lead, from their sexual lives to surviving on their own. But it's this sort of subject matter that makes me unsure of to whom recommend it. I know there were some pretty depressing reads when I was in the target audience (I can remember bawling my eyes out to Bridge to Terabithia back in the day), but I don't remember them being filled with such suffering, nor was that something I as a reader was ever craving.
Content warnings: child abuse, both physical and sexual, multiple rapes, suicide, assault, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, juvenile detention
Thanks very much to BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for providing an early review copy of this book.
I was first introduced to Ellen Hopkins with her middle grade novel in verse, Closer to Nowhere. I found that book to be absolutely beautiful, so I was eager to read her again when I saw Sync on BookishFirst. I haven't read any of her YA novels, but judging by their covers and subject matter, I'm sure they are just as dark as this one. I'm not sure I will be reading them after this.
The book isn't bad, and its poetic format makes it quick and easy to read. Each page is a new entry--alternating the perspectives of Storm and Lake. They're simple verses that would be accessible to any reader. But at times it felt like an exercise in masochism--there's maybe (?) a glimmer of hope on the very last page (whose open ended-ness made me want to scream), but everything that precedes it is just endless misery. Even the characters who offer a bright light (Josie, Ms. Bolton, for example) are touched by pain.
Yes, life for many people, is a struggle, and Sync shines a light on very real experiences. Some teenagers are forced into very adult situations, which are the sort of lives Storm and Lake lead, from their sexual lives to surviving on their own. But it's this sort of subject matter that makes me unsure of to whom recommend it. I know there were some pretty depressing reads when I was in the target audience (I can remember bawling my eyes out to Bridge to Terabithia back in the day), but I don't remember them being filled with such suffering, nor was that something I as a reader was ever craving.
Content warnings: child abuse, both physical and sexual, multiple rapes, suicide, assault, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, juvenile detention
Thanks very much to BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for providing an early review copy of this book.