Who You Might Be

by Leigh N. Gallagher

“Dazzling... Who You Might Be is a brilliant, splintery coming-of-age novel that perfectly captures the nervous thrum of adolescence and the unnerving fragility of adulthood. Gallagher is so acutely attuned to the lies (and secrets) we tell (and keep from) ourselves and others. It puts me in mind of Emma Cline and Rachel Kushner.”―Award-winning author Peter Ho Davies

A fiercely original and propulsive debut novel about the unexpected turns in life that ultimately determine who we become.

It’s the late nineties―the dawn of the internet―and Judy and Meghan have lied to their mothers and run away for the weekend, to see a girl they’ve met in a chat room. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Cassie, desperately clinging to childhood hopes, travels deep into the Nevada desert to reunite with her real mother at a strange and isolated compound. And, across the country, Caleb, an entitled teenager, is miserable following his family’s move from upper-crust San Francisco to boring Ann Arbor―until, emboldened by privilege, his tours of blighted Detroit become graffiti-writing escapades, with his faithful little brother in tow.

Each of these adventures derails in severe, alarming ways, only to resurface and collide two decades later in an unforgettable finale that explores the power―and limits―of the narratives that come to define us. Deftly written and peopled with precisely drawn, indelible characters pushed to great extremes, Leigh N. Gallagher's Who You Might Be considers the ramifications of life’s most trying encounters and the resilience it takes to determine for ourselves who we might be.

Genres: Fiction, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT

352 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2022

About the author

Leigh N. Gallagher’s work has been published in American Short Fiction, Beloit, Salt Hill, and the Reading Room anthology, and in nontraditional formats through collaborations with artists and musicians. A graduate of the University of Michigan’s MFA program, her work has been supported by many organizations, including the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, the Vermont Studio Center, and Marble House Project. Originally from California, she lives in Philadelphia. Who You Might Be is her first novel.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Leigh Gallagher, Henry Holt & Co. And Goodreads Giveaway foe an ARC of thus book. This is the author's first novel and, as such, I can feel the work and love that went into it. The work blends past and present for several main characters as their lives intertwine. A couple of characters, Cassie and Tez, receive less attention than I would have liked. Overall, good work!

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins in California in the 1990s when two friends Judy and Meghan run away for a weekend to visit a girl they met in a chat room. But when something unexpected happens, Judy is forced to confront some alarming truths about the many forms danger can take.

Next we travel to the Nevada desert where 12 year old Cassie meets her biological mother for the first time, only to learn the startling story of her birth.

Meanwhile in Detroit, three young graffiti writers each find themselves tested in a revelatory and devastating ways.

Decades later these seemingly unrelated stories collide two decades later in New York in a finale that explores power and limits of the stories that define us. Who You Might Be examines how we find the resilience to determine for ourselves who we might be.

As soon as I read this synopsis I was immediately drawn to the story. This debut novel is nothing short of mesmerizing and I’m very impressed with Leigh Gallagher’s writing. Her characterization is brilliant and the way the three stories come together at the end is very clever. I truly couldn’t find any issue whatsoever with this book and without giving anything away, I will say this will be one of those books that I will not be forgetting anytime soon.

Leigh N Gallagher has wrote an excellent debut novel and I look forward to see what she comes out with in the future. Who You Might Be covers many topics and it would be an excellent choice for book clubs.

Many thanks to Henry Holt Books for the gifted copy!

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes you come across a book that is just not for you. Unfortunately, for me, this is that book.

I love the cover of this one and from the synopsis, I felt sure I was going to like it. A few pages in, I quickly realized that was not the case. The plot line seemed muddied in what the author was attempting to explore in terms of life and where we fit into the universe in relation to those around us and how it ultimately shapes us.

In addition, none of the characters seemed likable or relatable to me, and there were so many trigger warnings, I honestly lost count. I struggled to get through a scene in which one of the characters goes on a rant about how Bob Marley was secretly assassinated because he was really an alien descended from Haile Selassie who apparently was also an alien. My Jamaican husband had a good laugh at this bit. I however, did not.

The thing I ultimately love about books is how the book I may dislike, will be the book my best friend, neighbor, mom, or husband winds up loving. I am sure this book will work for some, however it did not work for me.

Thank you Henry Holt for the physical copy and NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a part of a Goodreads giveaway. I knew almost immediately that this book wasn’t going to be for me. The first two acts set the stage for the third, providing the backstory for the characters at hand. But I just didn’t care about any of it, and to spend 200+ pages on it felt incredibly drawn out. The writing was undoubtedly good, but it felt wasted on so many mundane, meaningless things. 2/5 (with love, because it is hard to write and publish a book!)

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't like this book. I didn't like any aspect of this book. I found it to be boring and the intertwined stories were confusing. It left me with questions that I really didn't want answers to.

The audio was good, but the characters and the writing were not. I hated every character in this book. None of them seemed worthy of any redemption. I think trying to interweave seemingly different story lines just ended up leaving the book jumbled. I had to force myself to finish it.

There is an audience that will like this book, but there just wasn't enough going on for it to be me.

Two stars because I did finish it.

#Negalley

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant, Relevant, and Evocative

Who You Might Be by Leigh N Gallagher is a heartbreaking literary fiction that tackles the chaos and vulnerabilities of adolescence in the 90s. This novel provides some profound examples of how connections formed while coming of age significantly affect who we will become as adults. The book is written in three parts. The first part is about two teenage girls, Judy and Meghan, traveling to meet a girl they met online, and Cassie, a preteen who simultaneously runs away to meet her biological mother. Meghan is your typical pretty and popular girl that has to be the center of attention, even at the cost of her friends. Judy is the nerdy, late-blooming pushover of the duo. Their interactions made me incredibly nostalgic. Cassie's story of being a young girl seeking love with little to no parental guidance horrified me. I'm still upset that you don't find out how she grows up. The second part of the book is about the tumultuous brotherhood between Caleb, a white and entitled narcissist, and Miles, his adopted, black, and gay little brother. They form a bond with a local graffiti artist in different ways. Thier story was the most gut wrenching and unjustly ended. The third part is about Judy and Caleb as adults. Not a single character in this book is likeable. However, they are all reminiscent of our adolescence. The writing was vivid and illuminating. The story is mainly character driven with no significant plot. There is alot left up to interpretation and some readers may not enjoy a story that is not clear cut. I for one, was upset that Cassie's story was open ended, and that we don't know how other characters progressed in adulthood other than Caleb and Judy. This is still worth reading for the ample amount of meaning. Those that enjoy multiple storylines and timelines that intricately coalesce might enjoy this.

[Diane Schindler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so different than most books, but man it is the perfect book club book. Honestly, just when I couldn't put the first part down, desperately wanting to know the end, a new short story began. At first, I found it a bit frustrating, because I enjoy tying things up in a neat package at the end of stories.

The final ( third ) part of this book just blew me away. The author does an amazing job, pulling it altogether and leaving you wondering, what has happened in your past that has made you who you are as an adult. I might add, as a native New Yorker, it is a fact that there truly is only six degrees of separation between those you meet throughout your life.


I strongly recommend this book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was jarring to start reading a story about different characters on page 97 when I hadn't had any closure of the characters in the first section of the book. When the story moves ahead 20 years, and we have the follow-up story for Judy and Caleb, I was sad at first that I wouldn't find out about the rest of the characters. But after finishing this book, I realized that Gallagher wrote this book in reverse of our expectations. Usually, you meet the main characters and then learn about their past. Doing it this way forced us to read the first two sections without preconceived notions, and we didn't have favoritism towards one character. And she does reveal what happened to everyone else in the first two sections, except for Cassie.
Gallagher wrote so deftly about emotion and trauma and disappointment and despair. By the end, I felt Bonnie's feeling of loss and disappointment, her lifetime of trauma, and I wanted to believe in her, I wanted her and Jude/Judy to make up, to reconcile. The restaurant scene towards the end is some of the best writing I've read in a long time; the awkwardness and pain is palpable.
This book is about coming from something horrible (trauma or homelife) and making the best of the rest of your life and still having hope for a better future.

[Mark Cofta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this first novel thoroughly engrossing and surprising. Its three parts make an uneasy yet unexpected and satisfying whole. I confess, I often didn't like Gallagher's main characters -- and the ones I empathized with the most were not around when the action jumps from the late '90s to 2016 -- yet I found them real and compelling, though often flawed and struggling. Unlike many other novels, plot strands are not tied in neat bows (which will frustrate readers who expect this), but we do see how sometimes brief yet profound encounters kindle something within us that lives on, e.g. when a central character in the first section survives, albeit fictionalized by another important character 20 years later. Gallagher's prose is rich and detailed yet flows swiftly; I found myself devouring Who You Might Be in big chunks. Though often dark and grim, the novel bubbles with life and ends on an unexpected but welcome hopeful note. My thanks to Good reads and the publisher for the advance reader's edition!

[Hannah Arata · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 — there’s just too much happening here and too many stories. Could’ve been really good if we got more of Cassie and more of Miles and less of everything else in the 2016 section

[Bill Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some truly great writing here, and very compelling characters and stories—but too many of both, leaving gaps and discontinuities that left me feeling unsatisfied at the end. Gallagher shows great promise and talent here as a storyteller and writer, however, so I’ll be on the lookout for what comes next.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review soon.

[Elizabeth Giordano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you for the giveaway. I craved more from this story than I was given. When reading at first each of the three sections felt like their own stories. I liked the coming together at the end but wanted to see more of the characters we got from the first two parts and how their lives played out. We got a glimpse of the one tagger but not the young girl at the start. It was overall good but slow at times.

[Joel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel, which intertwines three separate stories taking place in different years across three acts. I assumed the stories would come together at the end, but Gallagher paints such different worlds and settings that I wasn't preoccupied with finding the tie. I particularly enjoyed Act 2, which follows two adoptive brothers after their move from California to Detroit. This is a smart book that highlights the power of relationship and how individual decisions have lasting effects on the people we keep close.

[Jeannine]

In the first few chapters, we have eating disorders, neglect, kidnapping, substance abuse, and catfishing (or something like it). There are too many books on my TBR to wallow in this. I'm out.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based on an advance reader copy I received through a Goodreads giveaway.

Part 1 of this book was great. It told the stories of Judy with her friend Meghan and Cassie. I was fully invested and couldn't put it down.

Parts 2 and 3 were disappointing. Part 2 shifts to talking about brothers Caleb and Miles. Part 3 supposedly "brings it all together" but was a let down and left many loose ends. In my opinion, both Parts 2 and 3 dragged and weren't terribly interesting.

Gallagher's writing style is generally good. There was some awkwardness at the beginning but it smoothed out. Sometimes she jumps between writing from the perspectives of two different characters in the same chapter and it can get a bit confusing.

The book itself is about how what we do and don't do in our adolescence shape us as adults. It is an interesting concept to bring together these different stories of teenagers by showing how they intersect as adults 20 years later, but overall I just feel the execution could have been a bit better.

[Samantha Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but I would only describe it as okay. It was told in 3 parts and really kind of felt like 3 different stories with very small links to each other.

[LeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally was gonna give this a 3.5 Star Rating. I really enjoyed the first two parts of this book. I found both of those stories interesting as stand alone pieces. And I was most captivated by Cassie (in the first part) and Miles (in part two). So of course, those were the characters I was hoping to learn more about and to see their stories continue.

When these two parts intertwined in part 3, it was not a smooth transition, in my opinion. That last part just didn't hold up as well. The characters in part 3 who we are learning more about were the ones that I was least interested in from the other sections.

I did decide to bump it up to a 4 because I found myself still thinking about this book days after I had finished it. And I think that should count for something.

[Meghann Chernyak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rocky start. Gets more interesting further into the story.

[Heaven Protsman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the audioarc of Who You Might Be.

This book is written in 3 parts that are supposed to intertwine, but it was done so poorly with zero explanation. The first part, featuring Judy and Meghan, was actually quite good and I was looking forward to their story. The second part featured Miles and Caleb, and the third was Judy and Caleb.

There are so many loose ends, it was so incredibly boring, and this was not at all for me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed how this book was written and the way all of the characters crossed paths and how their choices affected others. It was so different from other books I've read in this genre and I will definitely be looking for more to read from Leigh N. Gallagher.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for supplying me with an audio copy of this book for my review.

[Michaela Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow in certain parts but Gallagher’s characters are so richly developed that it’s hard not to be invested

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book while perusing my local library's online catalog and I'm glad I decided to pick it up. One of the things I really liked about it was the writing, it was very gripping and made things easy to visualize. I also appreciated that it required more focus from me, usually I sort of go on auto-pilot when reading and skim a lot without losing any meaning. But with this book, I had to focus and sometimes look things up to get context or a definition, it felt rewarding rereading the sentence with new knowledge. Another positive was the characters. I'm partial to a character driven story so this was right up my ally. Even if everyone wasn't likeable, they sure felt real which I can't fault them for. I liked hearing the thought processes of people so different from mine and how they justified and took certain actions. A lot of the characters felt like you could sympathize with them and understand where they were coming from even if you didn't agree with every action, and it was nice to see some of them improve.

I definitely preferred the first half of the book the best. I am partial to the nostalgic experience of a teenage girl than I am due to my own prior experience also being one. Though that doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate the characters in the second half. Miles has a soft spot in my heart, R.I.P.

For the things I didn't like, the structure of the presenting past events in the middle of present ones could be a little discombobulating but the worst instance was when Tez was telling his backstory about being a part of Kuru's crew and when it ended I had forgotten where the characters were in the present.

Speaking of the writing again, some scenes presented in the book I felt like I could see visually with that haze of nostalgia, it was described so well. It was very atmospheric in a way I loved and it felt like I was watching an artsy movie that had a nostalgic color grading, morose characters and beautifully cinematic shots. It was really inspiring to read sometimes.

The third half was interesting. A lot of the time I felt like I was waiting for updates on the characters from the first half and was sad we didn't get substantial ones for Cassie or Meghan. I was happy to here that Tez was still alive and doing something he loved, and that for a time Judy got to be happy and have a nice friend and a nice family even if it wasn't her own. I was surprised that she was dating Caleb in the present but it made sense thematically and was powerful the symbolism of her being tethered to him for his art project that he was 'recreating' in an easier, simplified way (which is indicative of his character). And how when she finally freed herself, she freed herself of him to.

I was surprised that Judy's mother became a more important character in the 3rd half since she wasn't in the first half but I apprecitated her perspective even if she wasn't perfect. And I liked the hopeful note the book ended on with mother and daughter potentially in the future finding a way to have a positive relationship even if it wasn't perfect. It really felt like the book was just a peak into these characters lives and that they would go on living without us.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and it might even make it's way into my personal collection.

P.S. fuck Caleb

[Aimee Dars]

Thank you so much to @henryholtbooks for sending me a copy of 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘉𝘦 by Leigh N. Gallagher.

“Two fourteen-year-old girls, one beautiful and one just okay, are running away from home on a northbound Amtrak.”

Judy and her friend, Meghan, who takes on the leadership role in the duo, have concocted an elaborate charade so they can visit Cassie, a glamorous and worldly older model they’ve met in a chat room. This is 1997, so when they find instead an elderly relative suffering from dementia who locks them in Cassie’s room, they have no way to call for help. To entertain themselves, they read Cassie’s diary uncovering her deepest secrets.

Meanwhile, the real Cassie, who has no relation to the online persona speaking to the girls, has run away from her Southern California home so she can visit her mother at her desert compound and find out why she was given to her great aunt to raise.

A year earlier, Caleb, who just graduated high school, moves, with great resentment, from the Bay area to Detroit with his parents and younger brother, Miles. Self-centered and often high, Caleb becomes involved in the graffiti scene, bringing Miles along with him.

Twenty years later, characters converge in New York, laden with the narratives of the past that have defined them—the stories that have come from experience and the ones they’ve created. The collisions among the characters challenge what they’ve always thought of themselves and offer the possibility of transcending old patterns.

I loved the writing in the book and will definitely be reading Leigh Gallagher’s future work. The characters are complex and well-drawn, and the novel is so layered with meaning I haven’t yet unpacked all the symbols and themes. The 2017 section does bring some of the characters together and provides resolution to others’ stories, however a few characters disappear. While that certainly is true to real life, I was anticipating a greater role for a larger number of the characters introduced as adolescents.

Gallagher’s debut novel displays great talent, and it will appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven literary fiction!

[Amy Shook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read that spans from the 90’s to present day. It’s definitely a more character driven book.



Synopsis:

It’s the late nineties—the dawn of the internet—and Judy and Meghan have lied to their mothers and run away for the weekend, to see a girl they’ve met in a chat room. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Cassie, desperately clinging to childhood hopes, travels deep into the Nevada desert to reunite with her real mother at a strange and isolated compound. And, across the country, Caleb, an entitled teenager, is miserable following his family’s move from upper-crust San Francisco to boring Ann Arbor—until, emboldened by privilege, his tours of blighted Detroit become graffiti-writing escapades, with his faithful little brother in tow.

Each of these adventures derails in severe, alarming ways, only to resurface and collide two decades later in an unforgettable finale that explores the power—and limits—of the narratives that come to define us. Deftly written and peppered with precisely drawn, indelible characters pushed to great extremes, Who You Might Be considers the ramifications of life’s most trying encounters and the resilience it takes to determine for ourselves who we might be.

My thoughts:

This was an interesting read and it certainly does make you think about how everyone has their own narrative. Shared experiences with others will not yield the same feelings or results.

I felt all the characters started out being developed very well. However when we switched to Caleb and MIles story I felt it was the focus for a big part of the book. We see Judy again again at the end and we also learn a lot more about her alcoholic mother when she comes to visit. My complaint was the reader becomes invested in several characters but I don’t feel that there were enough loose ends tied up. When the story shited to Caleb an his brother MIles I missed hearing about Judy and Cassie. I felt there was a lot of focus on the boy’s story but I was left with questions at the end. I also never got any closure on Cassie.

[Lorin (paperbackbish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounding up. I just finished this novel, and I may not have sat with it long enough to write a coherent review, but here I am.

This book was not what I expected. The writing is exquisite -- prosaic but not pretentious, perfectly capturing the human experience. It's beautiful, lyrical. The characters are deep, intense, and well fleshed-out, flaws and all. And they're all flawed, to be sure.

The novel is segmented into three parts that read as three different stories, with characters from part one and two starring in the last part, together, 20 years later. The first story is about two teenage girls that run away from home to meet a friend they met in a chat room, and also a pre-teen girl who leaves her adoptive home to meet, for the first time, her birth mother. The second story follows three teenage/young adult boys as they move from California to Michigan and discover the thrill of graffiti art, along with the dangers. The third story brings together characters from the first and second, 20 years later, in New York City.

This is a deceptively long read; it's dense and packed with an intensity that forces you to slow down and experience the details. I really loved how complex the characters were, and how deeply I could relate to some of their experiences. The ending is also perfect, in my opinion -- Bonnie's symbolic gift being the cherry on top. Where I'm left feeling flat however, is an overwhelming sense of "so what?" I became fully invested in many of the characters in this story, and I don't feel that closure was achieved for many of them. It's the author's prerogative, of course, to choose to provide this closure or not, but I do find myself wishing I had a bit more.

Overall, an exceptionally well-written debut novel, and I will certainly pick up any future writings by this author! Thank you to Leigh Gallagher and Henry Holt & Co for sending me an advance reader copy to read and review.

[SueCanaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not all books are easily reviewed, and Who You Might Be is one of those difficult to evaluate. First, I listened on audio so take that for what it's worth. Given the structure of the tale, told in 3 distinct parts, with different characters in sections 1 and 2, and the 3rd section attempting to intertwine the earlier stories, audio may just not work for this one. It might have been easier had I been able to refer back through the pages when things stopped making sense, but as a listener, that option really doesn't work. And, without sounding too harsh, I'm not sure I want to put that much effort into a book.

The author, Leigh Gallagher, has previously published work in "non traditional formats" so I'm guessing that this first novel is harder to read because the style of meshing stories, traveling in time by decades, and then making the connection and getting the message, is more complicated than many books. Again, as an audio version, it was not easy or fun as a listener.

The narrator, Aven Shore, has a pleasing voice and did a good job voicing the complicated characters. I would absolutely listen to more of her audio books.

Now the hard part as a person who never likes to leave bad reviews is the star rating. As a reader, when a book is 5 stars it's super easy to review and recommend. 1 stars tend to be easy too because honesty does matter. Who You Might Be is neither a 5 or a 1. Is it a 3? Not really, but it's also not a 2. The author is trying something unique, and that isn't a bad thing in a world where formulas for books get overused. I'm going to round up to 3 because I hope Gallagher writes another novel, and I also plan to take a look at her previously published short stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen in advance of the June 21, 2022 release date.

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won an ARC of this from Goodreads, and reviewers are generally asked not to quote directly from ARCs, which is too bad, because the first sentence of this novel really grabbed me. The book's back cover and Goodreads' description both let the reader know that they're in for multiple storylines with this book. The first section of the book flips back and forth between two 14-year-old girls on an adventure away from home and a 12-year-old looking for her biological mom in Nevada. I found both stories bizarrely interesting and wanted more of those characters. But then we get to Part II, just under a 100 pages in, and the story switches completely - a year earlier, across the country in Detroit, where a couple of brothers get involved in the graffiti/tagging scene. I found this story less compelling, but at least it came to somewhat of a conclusion, before we switch gears once again to Part III, 20 years later. The book promises to bring the previous stories together, but it really doesn't. Instead, we're given a different story with one or two of the more minor characters from each of the first two sections. Some of what's happened in the previous two sections come into play, but a lot of dangling plot threads are left to dangle, including some of the characters and situations I wanted to read more about. And the conclusion/climax of the book depends too much on a major coincidence that stretches my belief. All that being said, I did enjoy each part of the book to varying degrees, though I was disappointed that it didn't come together better. A number of other reviews I've read complain that none of the characters are likeable. That may be true, but it makes them a bit more real to me, and I don't need to like them to be interested in their stories. I just wish they connected more.

[Veronica R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was captivating and original, really capturing the time of 1997. I was the same age as Judy and Meghan in 1997, so this enthralled me. I found theirs and Cassie’s storylines most exciting to read, but Miles’ storyline was also very intriguing…until it completely dissolved into Caleb’s storyline. Parts 1 and 2 were so good, but then by part 3 I was so disappointed to realize several characters and storylines were just half-baked ideas that the author never came back to. It was like reading a bunch of short stories that never cohesively tied together. What happened to Cassie and the guys that assaulted her? Her story completely fell off and the author oddly just dropped her. How did Meghan and Judy escape? Who was it behind Cassie’s fake profile? What became of Meghan beside Judy’s mom mentioning at the end that she gained so much weight? Tez, one of the few more likeable characters, his fate just briefly described in a couple, glossed-over sentences at the end. Caleb got so much screen time when he was the worst, and we never saw any real consequences for his grossly diabolical, selfish, and cowardly actions. Contributing the entire third part of the book to Judy’s mom, was so frustrating and did not make sense in my opinion. The book started off so strong, with beautiful pros and talented writing. It just went too many directions and never meshed back together. If I had to the rate book by parts, the first two-thirds of the book were a 5, and the last third of the book was a 2, averaging to a 3 overall.

[Meghan ReadsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Henry Holt Books and NetGalley for this ebook (and a physical copy too!). This is a strong debut, powerful writing and well developed characters. This is a moody, intense read (or was for me!) and brought me back to that odd sense of disorientation and disconnection a lot of teens experience. I felt the plot with Judy and Meghan and IM and running away to meet someone online really captured a time in the 90s that was very real for many and the idea of the freedom of expression, of seeking independence, but then fearing some of the experiences of that freedom was so present in Caleb's story. Cassie yearning to understand herself and her mother was very powerful too. 3.5 stars

I struggled though, despite the strong prose and characters, to get engaged in the story. It was almost as if that feeling of yearning, of feeling lost and uncertain and disconnected, came across too well and it was hard to feel connected to the characters and story (like it was too much their story and I couldn't be in their world).

I still though think this is a strong book in many ways, filled with themes about identity and adolescence and connection that are worth talking about. I look forward to seeing what else Leigh N. Gallagher has to offer, her narrative voice is strong.