Rich & famous parents does not mean a happy life — just ask Tiernan. When her parents kill themselves together, leaving her behind in their wake, she is thrown into a world of grief & self discovery. If only they had waited until she was 18 years old first. 

Jake is Tiernan’s step-uncle. He & her father hated one another & were estranged, so Teirnan only ever heard of him. But he was all that was left for Tiernan, so off she went to the mountains in Colorado. When she gets there she finds herself in the world of three bachelors — Jake & his two sons in their early twenties (Noah & Kaleb). It’s clear they have their little system up here on their own, & Tiernan quickly has to figure out how to blend herself in with her “new family” & they will have to figure out how to live with a girl in the house for the first time in a very long time! 

And they’re up in the mountains, so when the winter snow comes they are snowed in… for like six months. Things get wild. 

This book has obvious taboo topics: the main being Tiernan having sexual relationships with not only her step-uncle, but also both of her step-cousins. This fact in itself may be enough to turn some people away. For me I just was so icked out by the fact that they just had to keep calling him Uncle Jake. Like just stop saying UNCLE please — this man is not your uncle. For that reason, the book lost a star for me! 

There are a lot of misogynistic behaviors on page in this book as well, & that may be hard for some to read. For me, the hardest part to read was when Kaleb’s childhood trauma was being recounted. 

This book did a great job of diving into the world of a 17 year old girl who has been neglected her whole life by her parents & is now facing the grief caused by their deaths. Here’s the thing, I think many of us would’ve responded similarly to Tiernan in her situation. She was confused, alone, angry, heartbroken, abandoned & neglected — OF COURSE she is going to be swept up in a whirlwind of all kinds of emotions & thoughts when she’s finally receiving attention & care. Even when it comes to Noah & Kaleb, their part in the story all logically makes sense. As much as I was icked out by Jake, Penelope Douglas did a great job of giving enough of his story to explain (not justify) his behavior too. So while this story might not be pretty; it very much felt realistic. 

This book actually made me think about why it is I love reading in the first place. I love to experience the things others experience via a book. Being able to gain insight into the human experience is a valuable thing & I feel like, even when it’s rough & taboo & not easily understood, this book was a reminder of that for me. 

If you are feeling the desire to read this book, please read the trigger warnings & keep in mind that it is for adult audiences, as there are a lot of heavy themes in it!