I wasn't enthralled by this novel. It was well written, well spoken but I just couldn't connect to it. The way the James' parents were detached from their kids, I felt detached from the characters, almost as if the author did so well at demonstrating how each kid learned to be well guarded, it was like they even kept the reader out. I find many novels lately using the back and forth approach, bouncing between past and present. This was used here but i didn't find it necessary or effective at all. The meat of the novel takes place in the past, it could've just been written in succession (instead of having to look back every time we were pulled back to the present to remind myself what was happening). Although Tallulah is the heroin of this novel, there were many rich themes brought up through almost every character- and yet I felt cheated out of them. Almost as if it was enough for the author to introduce them to you and that's it, her work was done. An awareness was brought up but no depth, no exploration of the many facets of these pertinent issues. By the time the reader is brought to the truths and resolutions it seemed trite and fell very flat. Very disappointing being that there was so much potential to be something great. It wasn't a bad read at all which is why I gave it 3 stars, it was just nothing I'd run to recommend.