Both Gorgeous and Gritty

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"I told Jack to stay away. He'll make you hurt, I said. He'll take what matters most. He'll do it with a smile and then he'll smoke a cigarette. Jack didn't listen."

Jack's father is in prison for killing a man during an armed robbery, and the briefcase full of money has never been found. His father double-crossed some dangerous people, including Bardem, the father of Ava, the new girl at school. When something happens to their mom, Jack desperately needs money to take care of his little brother, Matty.

This book is simultaneously gorgeous and gritty, with characters who win your whole heart. There's Matty, who's seen too much, but is still desperately clinging to a childhood represented by Hot Wheels cars and cereal in bed. There's Jack, who'll do anything to protect Matty and keep the family together after they lose both parents, even go up against drug dealers in search of the briefcase of money his dad hid years ago. He doesn't stop even when the bullets start flying. And then there's Ava, the daughter of the boy's father's sworn enemy, who wants to care about someone despite being taught not to by her monstrous father. Sparks fly immediately between Jack and Ava, despite her trying to stay away from him. But when she decides to make his problems her own, she dives in with her whole heart.

Each chapter starts with a poetic musing or story, which we quickly understand is Ava's perspective. "What made you? How did you form? From where did your layers and your curves and your holes come? Your gentle and your savage places? The bright and the deep hallowed dark. The valleys and cliffs of your soul. The loud and silent. For what does your heart beat? I think about these things."

The ending was ambiguous, but I hear there's a sequel, so I'll forgive the book that. It's worth reading for the beautiful language and the gripping characters. Cory Anderson is a new voice to watch in YA.


Trigger warning: Rape and violence.

Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.