Damaged

by Amy Reed

Part ghost story, part epic roadtrip, and part reluctant love story, DAMAGED offers readers another piercing, poignant story full of emotional truth from author Amy Reed.

After Kinsey’s best friend Camille dies in a car accident during which Kinsey was driving, Kinsey shuts down, deciding that numbness is far better than mourning. All she wants during the last few weeks of high school is to be left alone, but Camille’s mysterious boyfriend, Hunter–who was also in the car that night–has different ideas.

Despite all of Kinsey’s efforts, she can’t outrun Camille, who begins haunting her dreams. Sleep deprived and on the verge of losing it, Kinsey runs away with Hunter to San Francisco. As they drive across the country, trying to escape both the ghost of Camille and their own deep fears, Kinsey questions all she once believed about her friendship with Camille. Hunter, meanwhile, falls into a spiral of alcoholism, anger, and self-loathing. Ultimately, Kinsey and Hunter must come to terms with what they’ve lost and accept that they can’t outrun pain.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Road Trip, Romance, Death, Fiction

374 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Amy Reed was born and raised in and around Seattle, where she attended a total of eight schools by the time she was eighteen. Constant moving taught her to be restless and being an only child made her imagination do funny things. After a brief stint at Reed College (no relation), she moved to San Francisco and spent the next several years serving coffee and getting into trouble. She eventually graduated from film school, promptly decided she wanted nothing to do with filmmaking, returned to her original and impractical love of writing, and earned her MFA from New College of California. Her short work has been published in journals such as Kitchen Sink, Contrary, and Fiction. Amy currently lives in Oakland with her husband and two cats, and has accepted that Northern California has replaced the Pacific Northwest as her home. She is no longer restless. Find out more at amyreedfiction.com.

BEAUTIFUL is her first novel.

Reviews

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need to learn more about these new adult kind of romances where the protagonists are both messed up for some reason and fall into passionate, intense relationships. This one was entertaining for a while because of the female lead's extremely hard-ass personality. But then they went to a library and a 'mean librarian shushed them' and I was like whatevvvveerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars
I am finally done with this book. This book has token me forever to read and get through because I just haven't had time to actually read it. It has been on my want to read list for a really long time now and I just haven't gotten to it but I finally did. I loves everything about this book. I would read this book again. I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a good book.

[Rabiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 stars**

Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...

I knew I had to get my hands on this one after reading Amy Reed’s fantastic novel Clean. The cover on the ARC I received was different – it featured a guy, and so I was a little sad that it got replaced with the image of the girl because not too many guys are the main subject of the cover when it comes to YA fiction. Anyway, I really enjoyed this one. Amy Reed’s writing is compelling and while harsh, it’s got a lyrical quality to it. She’s clearly not afraid of being brutally honest when it comes to telling a story and gets right into the nitty-gritty, deep-down stuff that we tend to hide or what characters don’t show in many books. That’s what I particularly enjoyed about Damaged and overall it was a great read.

I really loved Clean, so I knew that this one was going to get a similar reaction from me. I didn’t like it as much as Clean, but it was really different from it as well, so I don’t think I can compare the two in terms of subject matter. Sure, this does deal with addiction – not getting past the death of a friend, alcoholism, and such. HOWEVER, unlike the rehab setting that was in Clean, the two characters Kinsey and Hunter take a road trip. I don’t have anything against road trips, but honestly, it’s such a cliché in YA nowadays that it does get annoying. I mean the same thing happens again and again and again. Boy and girl take a road trip, starting with nothing but the need to get away from it all. The relationship at this point is pretty platonic and they often have a character who is missing/dead/etc. who is the reason why they need to get away from where they currently are. Make a few side-stops, showing the touristy-side of a road trip at some not-so-well-known landmarks. They start to fall in love. Something happens, they separate, angry at each other. In the end... who knows, they either stick together or separate it’s a toss-up. I’m not saying that all road trip books are like this, but they tend to have a similar pattern. Damaged followed some of this (I’m not gonna say what) and so yes, the story’s frame was a little cliché, but the other parts were better than I’d expected.

When it came down to Kinsey and Hunter, I seriously couldn’t connect to them. Normally this would annoy me with a book, but I honestly thought that it worked this time. Taking more of an observing role rather than getting into the characters and their emotions made more sense for this one because of the experiences the both of them have had. But I did feel time to time annoyed with the characters because of their actions and their tendency to quickly get mad at each other and shut down completely. The Camille “ghost” parts of the story were the best. I seriously thought that these were the moments when we could possibly connect to Kinsey’s character because she’s more vulnerable and we can see past the mask she wears most of the time.

Both a smooth and rocky road, Damaged was an interesting blend of ghost story meets contemporary road trip. Dark and haunting, Reed scores again with her latest novel. Can’t wait to read more from her!


▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Kelsey at Simon & Schuster for sending a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is October 14th and it should be released by the time this post goes live.

This book advertises itself as gritty and it is true to form in it's description. Although this is technically considered in the YA genre it is not the bubble gum teen angst that one can expect from this genre. This story is about people with real problems and real grief.

The underlying theme is a coming of age story meets a dealing with grief story. Both of the main characters in Kinsey and Hunter are deeply flawed with some serious issues. On top of that is the aftermath of their best friend/girlfriend. Put the two together and it is a deeply dysfunctional relationship as they try to overcome the issues that have brought the two of them together.

If you are looking for a love story then I am not sure if this will be the right story for you. While it is present within the story it takes a back burner to the real issues at hand. The battle with the characters ghosts both literally and figuratively is the predominant story-line and it isn't necessarily pretty. From Hunters battle with alcohol and all of the unpleasantness that comes with that to Kinsey's need to control every emotion you experience an unpleasant view of both characters. This makes them more real and the story-line more realistic.

I have read many stories about boy/girl road-trip, running to something when it is actually running away from something but this story is a bit different. It is not glossed over or romanticized like many can be. At times it was raw and emotional and this is what I enjoyed about this read. It offered up a little bit more depth and for that I was grateful.

Reed will now be on my watch list and I look forward to discovering other work from her.

[Kelly]

Kinsey was driving the car when her best friend Camille was killed in a crash. Two months after the accident and school is just about done, senior year almost behind her, but all of the things Kinsey had so rigidly planned -- rooming at the University with Camille then moving with her out to San Francisco after they finished college -- were out the window. She's glad she's no longer the people looked away from when she walked into a room, but she never should have been either. She never really mourned the loss; she never would let loose of the control of her emotions.

When Hunter, Camille's boyfriend, keeps running into Kinsey, she finally stops to listen to him. She'd hoped to avoid him forever and the memories associated with him. Their differences. But she listens, and after a lot of convincing, she agrees to drive with him out to San Francisco and figure things out.

What Kinsey fails to mention to Hunter or to her mother, the only two people sort-of in her life, is that she's being haunted by Camille's ghost, and it's not the Camille she knew before she died.

Reed's novel is part road trip and part ghost story. But it's not just about the ghosts associated with grief. It's about the ghosts of self, about how much control one exerts and lets go of over what happens in life, both the good things and the bad things. Kinsey is a control freak; if she can't suppress her feelings enough, can't make enough plans for how to get from A to B, or can't hold the thoughts back, she counts or finds some way to dodge the issue at hand. That's how she avoided grieving Camille's death.

The thing is, Hunter won't let her continue on this path of control.

But this isn't a book about a boy saving a girl. It's instead a story about Kinsey learning how to take control of her own life by learning how to take chances and let go of some of the things that she shouldn't be worried about controlling. It's okay for her to feel things. It's okay for her to have new experiences. More, it's okay that she's not a shadow in Camille's life, always waiting on the sidelines for her own to begin. This is the story about her learning to get out on the field and live her life for herself. It's through the road trip that Kinsey discovers this sense of adventure and she learns how to let her feelings have the opportunity to BE feelings for her.

In so many ways, Kinsey's personality just spoke to me because I saw many of my bad habits and insecurities in her. A lot of things I've figured out and a lot of things I still find myself being habitual about, even though they're not good habits. Kinsey is very okay being unlikable; that's why she befriended Camille -- she got to be the likable one, and Kinsey was fine not being that way. Kinsey's also afraid of everything and afraid of doing what she wants to do because it's what she wants to do. She's a super tense type A, afraid to let herself have anything. The fear and angst she has about developing relationships, especially friendships, is well-done. She's nervous about Hunter, worried about his actions and behavior and background, and while those things are sometimes seen to be true, she also learns he has a lot more to him than that. Some of the passages about love and accepting people, for their strengths and for their damages, were knock-out powerful.

Some of my favorite things in the story were the smaller things: Kinsey has a job and she and her mother aren't wealthy. She never has a cell phone because she could never afford it (and where in some cases that could be super plot convenient, Hunter has one on the trip, so it's not the case here). There's a frank discussion about virginity, as well as raw discussions of suicide and even rawer moments of grief and anguish.

There's romance here, but it takes a back seat to the bigger story, and the payoff is more than worthwhile.

Reed extends beyond realistic YA fiction here with the supernatural element of Camille's ghost. I think readers could interpret it as being a part of Kinsey's own consciousness/wrestling with grief, too.

[Renae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amy Reed is one of my favorite authors. Roadtrips are one of my least favorite plot devices. So I guess in the end things kind of balance out and we’re left with a book that’s pretty okay, but nothing more. I think I enjoyed most of Damaged, but I definitely had some fairly hefty issues when all was said and done.

This is a book about grief, this is a book about a roadtrip. This is a book about seeing ghosts and allowing them to manipulate you. Reed has the talent to pull this off, but I’m not sure she did, especially considering these characters. A lot of the time, they’re the very definition of “unlikable”, especially Hunter, but also Kinsey from time to time. And because they spend a good portion of the book trapped in the car together, I think the worst aspects of their personalities got brought to the fore (not to mention they’re both really screwed up anyway). So in terms of characters, I found it very hard to connect or empathize with Hunter and Kinsey.

Our narrator, Kinsey, is an uptight, judgmental introvert who hates change, is emotionally shut down, and is dealing with a lot of survivor’s guilt after her best friend dies in a crash where she, Kinsey, was the driver. And she’s also seeing Camille’s ghost. I didn’t have a lot of problems with Kinsey for much of the time, honestly, but towards the end of the roadtrip, she got cranky and childish and I was just done with her for a while.

Hunter, on the other hand, is a jerk, and I really fail to see what Kinsey saw in him that would make her pursue him romantically. He’s an alcoholic, suicidal, is rude, and has mega daddy issues. While it’s obvious that both of them were hurting throughout the book, and Kinsey was sometimes in the wrong, it was usually Hunter who came out with an absolutely nasty comment, time after time. And he only apologized once, when he’d gone so far as to make Kinsey cry; otherwise, Reed seemed to kind of brush past his assholery because of his sob story. Which was annoying. Yes, having a sucky life can make your attitude sucky, but that is a choice, as demonstrated by Damaged’s bonafide manicpixiedreamboy, Terry.

Terry is this kid whom Hunter and Kinsey find in Nebraska and give a ride to. He’s unnaturally cheerful about everything, is unrealistically childlike, and hopelessly nice. He pops into the story, teaches Hunter and Kinsey something about being happy, and then pops right back out. It was such an obvious plot device and I really had to roll my eyes. Only in ridiculous roadtrip novels does this happen.

Another issue I had was concerning Camille’s ghost, who is present throughout the narrative. Not only is Kinsey seeing and hearing the ghost, but was actually physically interacting with it, and often there would be bruises, etc. left behind after a visitation. Now, considering that Kinsey’s mother is bipolar, I thought it would have been very plausible for Reed to introduce a mental health component into Damaged, but she didn’t. At the end of the book, Kinsey “lets Camille’s ghost go” and then boom, all troubling psychological symptoms cease, with no further explanation. I was left confused and questioning, rather than satisfied by the character’s final closure.

Amy Reed is an excellent writer, and I will always hold to that. But Damaged by and large, was somewhat dissatisfying. The characters were too messed up to be emotionally reachable or sympathetic, and a lot of the plot devices weren’t well done. I enjoyed bits and pieces of the story, but it didn’t come together for me like I would have wanted.

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[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ghost stories are pretty cool. They usually have nightmares, suspense, and lots of emotion. I've never been one to read them since they aren't that well done (or so I'm told). It seems that Damaged is no different. Really, I wanted to like this one more than I actually did because I've enjoyed novels by Reed in the past.

There's so much info-dumping and since most of it is during the beginning, I couldn't make sense of it all. With talks of random events and stuff, I just felt left in the dark. Moreover, the story is pretty typical with the broken girl and boy trying to fix each other. The romance felt forced at best. They have nothing in common except they both cared about Camille. Another thing that could have been better it Kinsley's mom who could have been by far, my favourite character , she's sassy and strange and gives the story flavour. Sadly, she's not developed and feels like a half written page.

Still, the people they meet on their way to San Francisco are all unique especially Terry, who I found adorable. Camille is a well put together character, maybe the best developed despite the fact that she's already dead before the story even begins. Also, I liked how Kinsley opened up at the end albeit a cliché used in almost every type of book, I still enjoyed it.

All in all, not the best book by Reed. The writing is great which helped make the boring characters bearable. Still, I recommend this to anyone looking for something that deals with ghosts and letting go.

[Hayden Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book certainly took its time more than Reed's other titles, but proved to be just as twisted as her other titles regardless.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites by this author, this book explores grief and identity and includes a fabulous ghost story.

[Just a person · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5=liked it a lot
I wanted to read Damaged because I have devoured her other novels. This one skirts into the paranormal side with the ghost aspect, which is good to see her branch out some, but still give flawed and hurting characters and getting to see them on their journey to healing and growth as a person.

I immediately connected with Kinsey. She handles her grief over losing her best friend and the fact that she was driving when she died. But she puts on a strong front and doesn't cry or break down in front of others. But she is riddled with nightmares, and the depressed mom and the mean mom, and the I am there for you and so sorry mom cycles through. Kinsey is a person of order and she likes to have a plan. Working out the steps on how to get what she is aiming for helps keep her focused on task at hand rather than the pain.

The ghostly elements were pretty creepy, especially when they morphed out of her dreams and into the waking hours. She sees her best friend and at times what she sees/imagines Camille blaming her, or they are in the car. Making her think that she is the one who should be dead. And things get even more intense when Hunter, Camille's boyfriend runs into Kinsey and they end up finally leaning on each other for support, when they weren't before.

They go on a road trip, and at times Hunter is a jerk, and he drinks too much, but then is a different person in the afternoons when his hangovers start to fade away. But Kinsey tries to see beyond this mess of a boy to what Camille saw in him. Kinsey starts to see those softer spots, and she finds herself attracted to him as their roadtrip goes on.

Hunter challenges her, knowing that she is normally quiet, reserved and afraid of going off schedule, and trying things new. What some people just see as the quiet girl or snobby because she doesn't talk to many people, they don't see the lonely girl beneath, who feels different because she doesn't care about the drama, and she loves to study and not much will get in her way. She is quiet a lot because she's had to take on a job and at times its like the roles are reversed with her and her mom, Kinsey doing it because otherwise won't get down in her most down times.

The ending was fitting for the story and I felt pretty satisfied. It tied up things pretty well, and showed their character growth. It was the perfect balance because I can imagine what things could look like for them since some of their issues were resolved or on the way to healing for their futures.



Bottom Line: Emotional story about Kinsey trying to figure out life after the death of her best friend. She unexpectedly agreed to a road trip with best friend's boyfriend who was also in the car crash.

[Kelesea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Damaged

Author: Amy Reed

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Series: N/A

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

"'...Maybe that's how people get stuck in lives they don't want--assuming that their decisions must be permanent, that there are no do-overs. But what if life is really a series of lives, a series of reinventions? What if the best paths are made up of detours?'"

Kinsey Cole has just lost her best friend, Camille, in a violent, frightening car accident. It doesn't matter that Camille was drunk, nor does it matter that Camille's boyfriend, Hunter, also survived. All that matters is that Kinsey doesn't want to feel anything. Recklessly, she and Hunter decide to run away to San Francisco together, and in the process, realize that running may not be the solution after all.



This book--this book. It just struck me to the heart. Kinsey in particular I felt a kinship with--the young woman lost without her best friend--possibly her only friend. The pacing of this novel was breakneck, but not in the way you'd expect--the transformation of Hunter and Kinsey set the pace. What sold this novel for me was the way the characters were so incredibly raw. Both of them try to deal with Camille's death: Hunter through alcoholism, and Kinsey through desperation and denial. The various characters that the two meet throughout the book are also integral to the growth of Kinsey and Hunter.



It is a surprisingly tender, and yet brutal, novel that explores the question: When we are lost, how is it that we find our way back? One of the things I love so much about contemporary novels is that they are another sort of escapism, but in almost a bad way, in the way that it is painful. It is unflinching in its stark, yet beautiful, prose, and I loved the way it reminded me of being a teenager, the beautiful and yet frightening idea that the world can be yours, if you only let yourself live.



But this book wasn't perfect, not totally: At times, Kinsey's denial made the narrative confusing, almost so erratic that it was hard to follow.



The bottom line: A beautiful, gorgeous book on life, love, and self-discovery. A few little quibbles, but definitely worth checking out for fans of Sarah Dessen.

[Kenzie Vanvactor]

Have you ever thought about what it would be like traveling across the world with someone you barely know. Well in the book “Damaged” by Amy Reed, Kinsey travels across the world with someone she barely knew. This book was so addicting to read, I ended up reading it everytime I laid eyes on it. Kinsey learned that you have to give people a chance before you have a final say about how you feel about them. Which an important life lesson is don’t judge a book by its cover and that’s what this book is about. I am really looking forward to reading more of Amy Read’s books in my life. I am, as a teenager, very relatable to her books. Any chance I get or anytime I see one of her books I am definitely grabbing it and going to start and read it.

[Brooke Barone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book just ripped me open and sewed me up and then ripped opened my heart again. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the ending left a lot to be desired. If a book puts me through the wringer of emotions like this one did and it just ends without knowing one way or another what became of them, it makes me not commit to loving the book as much as I should.

Other than that I am completly in love with this book. The writing got me, the explanations got me, the ghost she thought was following her but in fact she was carrying with her got me, everything grabbed ahold of me and didn't let go.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt that I was able to really understand the characters after that. It was nice to see how Kinsey grows out of her shell, and finally conquers her fears. I read the entire book in two days, it was so good. I liked the author's voice, and how she wrote the hauntings and emotions inside of Kinsey. When she was haunted, it felt like she was not only describing what she saw, but her fears. And I could just feel what Kinsey felt, from sorrow, to anger, and even her occasional enjoyment. I can't put into words how awesome this book was.

[Katie M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book scared me to death. Never read it at midnight, before bed!

[Abigail Katz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book at all. I really tried to like it, and it was okay at first. However, as the story progressed, it became less and less realistic and focused more on the paranormal aspect. I usually like horror stories, but I felt that this took away from the plot of Kensley coping with Camille's death. The whole paranormal concept was totally unnecessary to the point where I almost stopped reading the book because it became so stupid.

If the author wanted this to be a tear-jerking book, it really wasn't. It wasn't scary or all that entertaining either. I feel that Reed tried too hard to put both concepts into one book, and what she came up with was a nonsensical, eye-rolling kind of book.

I would have given this book another star if I had understood the ending. But I really didn't. I read it over and over again in frustration, but I could not understand for the life of me as to what happened. There was no conclusion, or at least it felt like it. This book was a disappointment and hard to follow.

[Nikki Matacic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amy Reed is one of my favourite authors but this was just not the book for me. Are we supposed to root for these characters? We've got an abusive drunk who, when he's not gaslighting her, is risking Kinseys life by driving drunk and leaving her basically alone with some rapist hippies.
They both try to off themselves and then both get mad at the other person as if they haven't just done the same thing.

Some random hitch hiker shows up and even though he makes Kinsey super uncomfortable and unsafe he comes anyway. And shares a hotel room with them. But it's okay because the story infantalizes him and he's sort of rich.

The only even remotely likable characters in this were the Chicago couple.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the parts of this book about Hunter and Kinsey, but I thought that Camille, whose character in my opinion should have been at the heart of the story, was boring and shallow. Meaning, I think the author could have done more to really flesh out her character, and make her seem like someone who should be missed. Her death was supposed to ruin Hunter and Kinsey's lives, but I never got the impression that she was someone special. Also, the ending note about Kinsey relying on her too much seemed out of the blue. It really left me wanting to know more about their relationship.

[Nicole Houser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't a bad read, but I think there should have been more consistency.

"Page 100- " I clean up the dishes and put the leftovers in the fridge. I hum loudly and out of tune to fill up the silence, in case she cries."

Page 201-"I realize I'm humming. I am not the kind of person who usually hums. I don't think I've ever hummed in my life"

am I the only one who is bothered by this type of thing?"

[Wild Thorns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this book if you aren't in the mood to be depressed and/or learn an excellent life lesson. It is an amazing look inside the mind of a grieving girl who refuses to stop chasing her demons. And her ghosts. And Hunter. She has to chase Hunter a lot too.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected. A love story that's not a love story. They connect over the death of her friend/his girlfriend. In their travel across the U.S. they fight, laugh, connect, and pick up a stranger.

If you are looking for a happy ending with lots of love, this isn't the book for you.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's just so good! I loved reading about these two broken characters and how they both cope very differently with Camille's death. I love it!!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book although, I desperately want a sequel!

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over the summer and I absolutely love it!

[Mariah Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. Quick read, decently written, believable plot and characters, etc.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this author. I did not love this book. Maybe I just didn’t connect as well with the characters? I still love Amy Reed though.

[Sherry Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book, an easy read. I loved Terry!

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I read this last about 10-11 years ago. I had not suffered any great loss. Now that I have lost my father (and in a similar, sudden, horrible fashion like Camille) I can appreciate how well-crafted this book is. Not that I didn’t know this ten years ago - there’s a reason why I picked this up again at the library. Amy Reed is very wise. It’s a truthful depiction of grief. I highly recommend it.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

**I received my copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

**2 Stars**

I've read a few of Amy Reed's books before - and I really liked all of them. I would describe her style as similar to Ellen Hopkins, that really personal look at "tough issues" in teens' lives such as pregnancy, rape, drugs, etc. So I knew that I wanted to request an ARC of Damaged. But when I was reading it, I realized that this is quite the departure for her usual style.

For one, the writing approached the problem (death) with a "rediscovering yourself via adventure" style plot. In previous novels, like Hopkins, Reed had her characters solve their problems via rehab or similar structures. So in this case, it felt like more of a John Green novel than an Ellen Hopkins novel. Except I hate John Green. I didn't like this change at all. I wanted to read Damaged because I thought it would be exactly like her other novels. I mean, they all even have the same style of cover. When I realized it was completely different, I was pretty disappointed.

Putting all that aside, I was still disappointed because the plot really lacked substance. Kinsey's best friend Camille has been dead for two months. Kinsey is haunted 24/7 by Camille's ghost (not in a paranormal sense, psychologically, although that wasn't very clear in the story) reminding her what happened. She can hardly function as a human being but she thinks that running away with Camille's boyfriend is going to help. Now, Camille's boyfriend is also a piece of work, but together they are ASKING to run into trouble. He abuses drugs and alcohol and she is hallucinating. I'm surprised they made it the whole trip (although they almost didn't a few times).

By the time I was done with this book, I didn't really understand what the point of the trip was if Kinsey was going to turn around and go right back to Michigan. Kinsey didn't really grow, she just dealt with a lot of the boyfriend's shit. She also sure isn't getting away from her abusive mother if she's going back home. The boyfriend I guess got away from his neglectful father. But neither of them really got away from Camille (basically the whole point). They had a prolonged hook-up, because other than sex, I wasn't sure if they were planning on being together or not at the end. Nobody grew. They just dealt with each other's shit and had sex.

One thing that was pretty good (like all Reed's books) is her ability to harness emotion and use it in a forceful way. She is pretty talented at that and this book is no exception. I felt empathy with Kinsey over Camille's death and how her mother treated her. I felt Hunter's (the boyfriend) rage and disgust with his father over his choices. Obviously the problem with this is that for certain characters this was a little uncomfortable. Kinsey's mom is mentally ill (I suspect something like schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder) and could be very abusive. Her grandmother wants absolutely nothing to do with her and refuses to let her in her house if she can help it. These two relationships made me pretty sad when I was reading the book.

This wasn't that horrible of a book. I enjoyed the beginning before the road trip. There was a lot of internal struggle and good use of emotion. But then they went on the road trip and I felt like I was reading a cliche John Green novel and I didn't want anything to do with this anymore.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinsey Cole knows people can only bear to hear so much bad fortune. That's why everyone in the small town of Wellspring, Michigan knows that Kinsey's best friend Camille died in a car accident when Kinsey was driving. It's easier for people to see the straight A student with a full athletic scholarship.

Kinsey is struggling to stick to her own plan for the future now that Camille is dead. She is going to go to college and get away from her small town and her mentally unstable mother once and for all. She is going to succeed the way everyone always expected she would.

The only problem is that Kinsey is quietly falling apart.

When Camille's boyfriend, Hunter, invites Kinsey on a road trip to San Francisco, Kinsey jumps at the chance to get away from all the memories and start her real life. But with Hunter's heavy drinking and Kinsey's own demons, it will take more than a fresh start for either of them to accept everything that has been lost in Damaged (2014) by Amy Reed.

Kinsey and Hunter travel across a largely barren landscape on their way to California in this haunting and well-done novel. An unflinching focus on Kinsey and Hunter makes this character driven road trip story even stronger.

Nightmares that may or may not be her dead best friend plague Kinsey throughout the novel adding a surreal quality to the plot. Reed offers a well-plotted and excellently written meditation on grief, loss and the power of new beginnings in this striking novel about two wretched characters trying to make themselves whole.

Possible Pairings: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson, Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley, Stealing Henry by Carolyn MacCullough, Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson, Fracture by Megan Miranda, Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

*A more condensed version of this review appeared in the September 2014 issue of School Library Journal from which it can be seen in various sites online*