first half of the book bought me instantly. it felt like watching an interesting series. i was transported to the 40's, the characters were well fleshed out and there was a proper female perspective. then the story was extreme yet realistic, with the author not afraid to bring up themes of domestic violence and sexual assault. Rosie, being the main character, was very inspiring.
i grew very attached to Rosie while reading this book, mainly because i could associate with her feelings of guilt and disgust towards her family, and her mixed feelings towards her father. at the same time, she was incredibly strong, resourceful and humble. it was truly inspiring, seeing this girl live through such tough conditions and still be able to appreciate the world around her. i thirsted for moments of assertiveness, when she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. i wanted to be even more like her.
unfortunately, it felt like the author lost the plot at some point. i think it began with Rosie working in the psych ward - i had no idea how this thread would tie the book together.
then, when Violet brought change to the hospital and Rosie was taken in by the Cooks, the book just became straight up boring. all we read about was how this young girl found a boyfriend, started a business, then broke up with her boyfriend, and her best friend became her new boyfriend. even the plot of Seth the Killer didn't make it that much more interesting.
to be honest, at some point i felt like the abusive parts of the narrative were put there just for the sake of shocking the viewer, turning into abuse porn. the first part of the book was justified - it was the basis for all the complicated feelings Rosie had to resolve. but after that, the nightmarish events of the hospital? the scenes with Gareth basically raping her one night? or the whole ending with Seth. what was the point?
i think the worst thing the book has done, was introducing romance between Thomas and Rosie. Thomas was a perfect man, Rosie was a great girl, but for the love of god, he met her when she looked 13! the amount of times when we are reminded, either by Thomas or by Rosie, that their age difference is weird, it gets even worse. Thomas and Rosie had a friendly, almost parental relationship throughout the book - Thomas was just another adult taking care of her. and Rosie many-a-times thought of him as nothing more than a friend. only when Thomas, a lonely and desperate man, started expressing feelings for her, she decided she will force herself to love him romantically.
and then, we got absolutely no nuance regarding that relationship. no conflict, no problems, just a weak plot point about his lost leg, and Rosie, obviously, having no problem with it. it felt so silly to spend so much energy on his insecurity of his stump being ugly. we, as well as Rosie, were used to much worse things.
if the author wanted Thomas to be the final reward for Rosie's efforts, and a balm for her needs, then why couldn't he be younger? why couldn't he be 20 when he met her? we know why - because then he wouldn't get to be the older brother of Rosie's mother figure. or he wouldn't be Rosie's father figure. of course, it contradicts itself - because Thomas being Rosie's love interest is absurd in its very essence!
the ending was also quite tiring. i didn't care about Rosie's happy life with Thomas or how her business grew. the book prepared us for serious, important conversations about human nature, about violence and about survival. i didn't want a sugar-coated slice of life about a teenage girl slowly reaching her dreams.
i might want to read it again, perphaps for the atmosphere of it, and to meet Rosie again, but i was quite disappointed.