What a way to start off the year! All I knew going into this was that Jennifer Hartmann wrote it. I’ve enjoyed a few of her other books, went into this completely blind, and this did not disappoint! 

This story follows two childhood friends Ella and Max. Ella’s moved back into town with her mother, after Ella’s brother is sentenced to death row for killing two people. At school she’s bullied and judged by her peers for being his sister, and tries to keep to herself. Meanwhile across the way, Max lives with his twin brother, and father both of whom he also cares for. His father is an alcoholic, who has frequent outbursts, and Max is the only one who takes care of him. All while trying to deal with the abandonment of his mother years prior. Ella and Max rekindle their bond, while overcoming many obstacles within themselves and their families. This book touches on grief, healing, young love, and does so in a beautiful way. I absolutely adored Max’s character! He was so sweet, kind, patient, and you can tell that he really loved Ella. 

This story left me laughing, smiling, I was even shocked that this brought me to tears a couple of times. Now did this book have its flaws? Yes, there were a couple of moments throughout the book I found to be awkward or cliche, the color orange was mentioned one too many times, and the Winnie the Pooh references, while cute at first, did start to get a bit repetitive. Despite all these, the book as a whole just worked for me, I was able to overlook these moments and still have a good time.