4.5 stars

I am not normally a huge fan of contemporary YA books preferring the more paranormal stories but hot damn this book was good! I initially went to see Corrine speak at a local event and bought a copy wanting to read it at some point. Added to to my overflowing to be read shelf. Come two days later I went to her launch party and she read three passages from the book and I knew I had to read it asap. Picked it up the very next day and read it in one sitting. At her launch party she gave out goodie bags that had packets of tissue in them and believe me when I say you will need them! Keep an eye out because I was so impressed by the reading she did I picked up a second copy and will be doing a giveaway soon.

Straight to the point: Since I gush for awhile my overall thoughts are-Go pick this book up now! And have a box of tissues on hand while reading!

It’s so hard to know even where to start gushing but first off the characters are amazing. Each one is so multifaceted and so real that it’s almost like reading about someone you know in real life. No one is perfect, not even the hero Carey. They each have their flaws and do things that make them ashamed of themselves and that will make you shake your head at them in disappointment while still relating to them because you wonder if you would be any different in their shoes. My heart absolutely broke reading what Quinn has to go through and made me want to go bitch slap her classmates, dad, mom and really just about everyone except George.

Who is George you ask? After being caught kissing another boy Quinn’s father, a former Marine officer, forces her to volunteer at a VA hospital working with veterans. Quinn bonds with one patient in particular, George. He’s not your typical sweet old man. He’s crotchety at times, he cheats unabashedly at cards but he has a huge heart and he doesn’t believe a word of the hurtful gossip about Quinn...See my full review at Debbie's World of Books.