Wonderfully unexpected
584446
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is a sexy, funny, well written book. Ms Tyler brings real insight into her characters and the situation they face.
612976
I was so happy at The end of this book. Totally unexpected and wonderful! Love the characters and the story is heart warming
3156488
When I started reading, I expected little but got wonderful character development surprise ending and all around marvelous story. I look forward to more from this author.
2957535
Wow, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this was not at all what I was expecting!

I was surprised at just how good this book was as I was not expecting such a complex and in depth story with an equally complex and in depth cast of characters.

The book covers several emotive subjects at the same time...some quite disturbing...yet it never gets lost or bogged down in the way it is able to blend these events into the overall story.
The author does this by skillfully ascribing and blending emotional backstories to each of the key characters, so that the reader becomes invested in the outcome of each individual as well as the overall story...thus making this a fascinating as well as compelling read.

It is a hard book to review without alluding to facts which would be considered spoilers, so rather than risk that, my advice would be to read the blurb and then dive right in as I did.
*Be aware though that the book does involve some quite confronting issues, having said that, I think it covers them in a most realistic light.

If I have one issue with this book it is the cover, I don't believe it does anything to sell this book for what it is, and possibly gives a misleading first impression.

"Confronting, amusing and compelling, this is a story about choices and how they shape who we become."

5s
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.
3828920
This was so unexpectedly  good, like a wonderful surprise.  After so many average books  that were entertaining but unremarkable  I feel lucky I came across this great  one. A well developed plot  with great insight into  pain and friendship , and  decades old mysteries.
1227780
Not at all what I expected!  Thoroughly enjoyed it.
2892011
I loved reading this story, the plot was unexpected and it certainly kept you hopeful of a good outcome. This is what I love about first books. It encourages me to branch out and read novels that I probable would not have chosen but then find to my delight that they are wonderful and interesting!  It was a Thoughtful novel and a nice change from the usual Girl meet guy, doesn't like him, then falls in love and blah, blah blah.
I will be looking for other novels by  Catherine Hyde.
1721434
Completely unexpected journey. Hard to imagine how this erupted from someone's imagination ... I'm intrigued to continue to Book 2!
2151373
I didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised and can't wait for volume two.
704650
I must say I was absolutely delightfully surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  Lexie is a complex character with maturity that somehow works with a high school student. We learn about her struggles and that of her new friends in an organic manner. Everyone in the story is complex and there is no good against bad just choices, consequences and how they are dealt with. Im excited to keep reading.
2301665
I loved this book for its unexpected... Almost everything.  It's just about impossible to classify.  It has sweetness and emotional depth seldom found in imaginative fiction.  Scanlon creates a thoroughly unique world yet somehow retains a feathery light touch.  The book is bursting with ideas without ever feeling forced, and without sacrificing story or character.  I've definitely never read anything like it before.
2481132
At first I thought I was reading about a life completely different from mine.  Then it heads into a mystery and then a thriller.  Totally unexpected and a very good read.
3510461
The title  of  this book drew me into the read and  really held me mesmerized.  I couldn't put it down because it opened a world  I had
never seen or even guessed lived.....read it yourself.....it's surprisingly wonderful.
2969585
My goodness... I have been looking forward to this book for some time. I expected to have revelations, for sure, but what was a pleasant surprise was how wonderfully the book read in general. Leah (and her co-author, let's not forget) create a narrative that truly sounds like Leah's voice sprung off the page, and the overall flow keeps steady yet enthralling pace throughout. I didn't expect to feel such heartbreak, but I did at a couple points; some of the goings on that Remini describes is truly stranger than fiction.

I loved her sass before, but now I also appreciate the grace and wisdom with which she told her story. It could've easily devolved into salacious gossip, but instead this is a well-crafted account of one woman's path toward finding herself against some bizarre odds. Totally recommend as a must-read.
3070282
What a wonderful surprise in this book. Two alternating points of view with fresh, distinctive voices. You have Lars, a noble, smart guy's guy, and then you have sweet Seraphima, who is both innocent and new yet possesses an ageless wisdom that is not bound by our earthly rules. There's mystery in this town, so many secrets, and a lush array of characters who could each star in their own novels. There's something of the small town mystery/tragedy that brings to mind *The Sweet Hereafter*, and the boardinghouse has its own enigmatic charm which plays with the line between fantasy and reality--a blend of the usual teen angst identity crises and romantic longings mixed with magic and can-this-be-real-ness (sort of like early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in a way, where even in a world of magical/paranormal, the teens and their problems are too, too familiar). The rich detail of the worlds of theater and the science of scent theory (which I have NO IDEA is even a real thing or a product of Gold's imagination) is intensely fascinating and pleasingly visual (much like the rich descriptions of textiles and funereal goods in *Bellman and Black*). And then, you get the sense that Kira A. Gold is extremely well read, with allusions to classic works of literature, and when the story truly unfolds in the last act, you slap yourself for not seeing it coming. Just brilliantly done. Even if you don't catch the allusions, there's enough in this story for anyone looking for a sexy, mysterious young adult read, but so many deeper readings can be made. I am looking forward to more from this author, and more from this particular universe she has created.
2546329
My advice, don't read anything specific about this book.  Seriously, there is a big surprise that comes somewhere in the first third and I didn't know about it and it was wonderful to be shocked.

Now I will praise, VAGUELY.  Because I don't want to spoil the surprise.  I found the characters beautifully drawn and I loved the narrator.  I would hang out with Rose, she is wonderful and has a great voice.  I would read about these people even if this were one of those slice of life type novels where things that have happened to any of us happen to the characters.  But this is not one of those novels, the plot of this book is so well done and so tight that I could barely wait to pick it up again.

If I were you, I'd stop reading this review and start reading the book already. It is worth your time, your money, and your attention.  Loved it.
183282
I starred without much expectation of it being a good book.  It sure surprised me. It was wonderful and so different from the run of the mill books.