When I read the synopsis, I was a little hesitant. Student-teacher relationships usually go on my extremely small list of Things That Make Me A Bit Uncomfortable, but I am so so so glad I didn’t let it deter me because this book grabbed me by the neck and even at 6am when I REALLY had to put it down and go to sleep, it was very difficult for my brain to leave it.

Why was that so hard? Because this book is seductive and completely twisted. I wasn’t expecting this story to be so dark, but there were several moments where I was sitting, hunched over my laptop, eyes wide and hand covering my shocked, open mouth. And when the tension lessened, I’d look around the room, blinking like I’d just walked out of a dark movie theater in the middle of the day. Yeah. It was that good and twisted.

What made it so good? The unexpected bat poo cray-cray mom. I mean this when I say this that she’s not just a little crazy, she’s like Jack Nicholson in The Shining or Anthony Perkins in Psycho crazy. From the first page you get a hint of this and if you’re wondering where it’s going, I’ll say this much: there. Wherever that leads, just THERE. And if you think that protagonist Juli is safe from her own brand of crazy, oh no. You’d be wrong. Between her and dear old mom, we have the makings of an intense crazy farm.

But it’s not all dark and drama! There is in fact, Dave. Snort-laughed-at-everything-he-says Dave. He’s a bit raunchy, incredibly flirty, but absolutely perfect and totally balances out the frequently moody Isaac. Everything from his challenging to a duel over a symphony to, well, I can’t spoil, but his end is perfect with a capital P.

I want more of this. More of this story. More of these characters. Just straight up MORE. If the fates conspire against me and there is no more of Juli & Co to be had, then I guarantee you I will be watching Mrs. Lawton’s work. Cause this is one helluva emotion-packed debut, can’t wait to see where she goes from here.

In my last little testimonial, I will say this: I am pretty strict about what books I keep once I’ve read them. My Read shelves are decorated with only the best of the best. For this blog tour I was gifted a digital edition. But PAH on those. I went on the internet and bought me a REAL copy so I can pet the pretty cover and have my heart melt any time I please.