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Thicker Than Bone
If you could save someone's life, would you? Anyone's?
Ali's older brother has a swastika tattooed on his knuckles, a prison ID number for nearly beating a man to death for the crime of being Middle Eastern, and spent his teenage years ruthlessly persecuting Ali for being gay.
Blood may be thicker than water, but Ali has spent most of his life desperate to prove that he is nothing like Tony. A committed vegetarian, charity-supporter, and blood donor, Ali would do anything for anyone, and is frequently teased by his partner, Yazid, for being too soft-hearted. Ali may share parentage with Tony, but he is determined not to share anything else if he can help it.
So when Tony contracts leukaemia, and Ali is the only match for the urgently-needed bone marrow transplant, Ali is caught between two equally awful to refuse, and condemn a man to death, or to donate.
And in donating, save the life of the man who nearly murdered Ali's Iraq-born boyfriend?
Ali's older brother has a swastika tattooed on his knuckles, a prison ID number for nearly beating a man to death for the crime of being Middle Eastern, and spent his teenage years ruthlessly persecuting Ali for being gay.
Blood may be thicker than water, but Ali has spent most of his life desperate to prove that he is nothing like Tony. A committed vegetarian, charity-supporter, and blood donor, Ali would do anything for anyone, and is frequently teased by his partner, Yazid, for being too soft-hearted. Ali may share parentage with Tony, but he is determined not to share anything else if he can help it.
So when Tony contracts leukaemia, and Ali is the only match for the urgently-needed bone marrow transplant, Ali is caught between two equally awful to refuse, and condemn a man to death, or to donate.
And in donating, save the life of the man who nearly murdered Ali's Iraq-born boyfriend?
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2015
1 person is currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Matthew J. Metzger
34 books351 followersMatthew is an asexual, transgender author from the wet and windy British Isles.
Matt writes LGBT novels, both adult and young adult, and particularly enjoys digging into the weird and wonderful diversity of people all across the sexuality and gender spectrums. When not writing, Matt is usually asleep, or crunching numbers at his day job. Free time is not really a concept here.
He is also owned by an enormous black cat. Approach with caution.
Matt writes LGBT novels, both adult and young adult, and particularly enjoys digging into the weird and wonderful diversity of people all across the sexuality and gender spectrums. When not writing, Matt is usually asleep, or crunching numbers at his day job. Free time is not really a concept here.
He is also owned by an enormous black cat. Approach with caution.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 8, 2016
This is a wonderful contemporary novel about two young men dealing with life, and the shadow of death - with the aftermath of cancer, and with violence and hate and family. The cover (which made me think of a paranormal, or horror) doesn't fit the mood of this story. Ignore it, and take a chance on this one, if you like reality, strong characters, clean writing, sex scenes that don't feel over-familiar, and difficult decisions.
The author does make some choices on structure that challenge the reader a bit. Ali and Yazid open the story together, after Yazid's leukemia is in remission, and after he's healed from an attack by Ali's homophobic brother, Tony. But the current-day narrative is layered with their early days, as they began dating, and meeting Ali's family, and the disastrous middle part of their story begins to loom. The alternating time frames, moving back and forth, are clearly marked, but make it harder to settle into this book deeply.
And I wanted to settle in. I loved these two men - Ali with his passion, his temper, his intense love for Yazid and his lingering nightmares about almost losing the man he wants to spend his life with. And Yazid - what a great guy. Steady, brave, a little battered but unbroken by discrimination throughout his life as an Iraqi growing up in foster care in England. He's the rock for Ali's more volatile nature, and a man with clear vision, able to pare his understanding of their life down to what matters, and to separate Ali and his true nature from Ali's family issues including Tony's violence.
At the same time, to tell this story linearly would have needed about three books (not that I'd have minded. I'd have devoured three books about these two.) But there is a power to the juxtaposition of the past and the present here, and the echoes of one in the other. It was a bold choice for structure, and may not please every reader, but it works IMO.
This is a book about how family and history and love and hate can tangle our vision and thoughts. It's about Ali's mother, who deals with difficult truths by not dealing with them, as if they will go away as long as they're ignored. It's about the question of what makes true family, and when blood is actually thicker than water, or affection. And it's about two very real, interesting, appealing young men coming through more than one kind of hell because their relationship is strong enough to make it. There is a HEA.
The author makes two other structural choices that are challenging. One is the order in which the very last scenes end, which makes the mood of the book a little darker. I actually went back and reread the HEA a couple of times to let it settle, because these guys deserve their happy life. The other is a dangling thread, the result hinted at but never stated. It's not as bad as the open issue at the end of Amy Lane's "The Locker Room" but has a little bit of the same "you decide how you think it went" effect. It works, for this book and style, (as it did for hers IMO) but if you are a "tied up in bows" reader it might leave things a little unsettled.
A strong novel, with great writing, wonderful characters, heat and love, and drama that's never forced. A little unique in structure and choices, but with a satisfying love story. I should have read it sooner, but the author is an auto-buy, and I never read the blurb, so my actual reading of it was delayed three months from when I bought it by the dark look of the cover of what turned out to be one of my favorite contemporary romance reads so far this year.
The author does make some choices on structure that challenge the reader a bit. Ali and Yazid open the story together, after Yazid's leukemia is in remission, and after he's healed from an attack by Ali's homophobic brother, Tony. But the current-day narrative is layered with their early days, as they began dating, and meeting Ali's family, and the disastrous middle part of their story begins to loom. The alternating time frames, moving back and forth, are clearly marked, but make it harder to settle into this book deeply.
And I wanted to settle in. I loved these two men - Ali with his passion, his temper, his intense love for Yazid and his lingering nightmares about almost losing the man he wants to spend his life with. And Yazid - what a great guy. Steady, brave, a little battered but unbroken by discrimination throughout his life as an Iraqi growing up in foster care in England. He's the rock for Ali's more volatile nature, and a man with clear vision, able to pare his understanding of their life down to what matters, and to separate Ali and his true nature from Ali's family issues including Tony's violence.
At the same time, to tell this story linearly would have needed about three books (not that I'd have minded. I'd have devoured three books about these two.) But there is a power to the juxtaposition of the past and the present here, and the echoes of one in the other. It was a bold choice for structure, and may not please every reader, but it works IMO.
This is a book about how family and history and love and hate can tangle our vision and thoughts. It's about Ali's mother, who deals with difficult truths by not dealing with them, as if they will go away as long as they're ignored. It's about the question of what makes true family, and when blood is actually thicker than water, or affection. And it's about two very real, interesting, appealing young men coming through more than one kind of hell because their relationship is strong enough to make it. There is a HEA.
The author makes two other structural choices that are challenging. One is the order in which the very last scenes end, which makes the mood of the book a little darker. I actually went back and reread the HEA a couple of times to let it settle, because these guys deserve their happy life. The other is a dangling thread, the result hinted at but never stated. It's not as bad as the open issue at the end of Amy Lane's "The Locker Room" but has a little bit of the same "you decide how you think it went" effect. It works, for this book and style, (as it did for hers IMO) but if you are a "tied up in bows" reader it might leave things a little unsettled.
A strong novel, with great writing, wonderful characters, heat and love, and drama that's never forced. A little unique in structure and choices, but with a satisfying love story. I should have read it sooner, but the author is an auto-buy, and I never read the blurb, so my actual reading of it was delayed three months from when I bought it by the dark look of the cover of what turned out to be one of my favorite contemporary romance reads so far this year.
June 20, 2019
4.5 stars
(Ignore that cover, it doesn’t really match the book at all)
Imagine you could give someone a chance at beating cancer. Some tests, some drugs, a bigger-than-usual blood donation, and you could save someone’s life. Would you do it?
I bet you’re thinking “of course I would”.
What if that person had assaulted your partner and almost killed him in the past?
Are you changing your mind now? Maybe thinking “Hell no, he can die a painful death”?
What if I add that that person is also your brother?
This is the choice Ali faces in this book and, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that donating or not isn’t the only decision he has to make.
The book alternates chapters in the present day to chapters in the first two years of Ali and Yazid’s relationship and we see how it all begun and how things progressed. How the freshness and wonder of a new relationship, blossoming and getting stronger, mixed with the escalating of Tony’s harassment and hate toward Yazid. How Ali and Yaz stood strong together in the face of everything, included an illness worse than Tony.
Tony’s such a nasty piece of work, and the rest of Ali’s family not much better although in a very different way, that I was surprised Ali was still talking to them and I had what would have been my choice figured out pretty soon.
(Putting the following under spoiler because in the end “my” choice was also Ali’s choice)
Of course, I had it all figured out quickly because I wasn’t really in Ali’s place. It’s easy to see things objectively from the outside and family dynamics are complicated at the best of times.
I can completely understand why Ali, despite reacting every single time in the right way when it came to establishing boundaries and standing up for himself, Yazid and their relationship, hadn’t managed to solve the problem after six years, even if there was really only one possible solution.
Ali gets there in the end and in the meantime we get to see how he and Yaz navigate life together, with laughter, compromise and unwavering love and support.
The alternating chapters might not be to everyone’s taste but I didn’t mind, I think they worked well with the story, even if on some occasions I had to relay on the index to recall how much time had passed between two chapters in the same timeline. My only issue is the choice the author made regarding the order of the last two chapters, I would have preferred the
Content warning for one, maybe one and a half, scene of very, very mild BDSM. So mild that it doesn’t even warrant my “light BDSM” shelf.
(Ignore that cover, it doesn’t really match the book at all)
Imagine you could give someone a chance at beating cancer. Some tests, some drugs, a bigger-than-usual blood donation, and you could save someone’s life. Would you do it?
I bet you’re thinking “of course I would”.
What if that person had assaulted your partner and almost killed him in the past?
Are you changing your mind now? Maybe thinking “Hell no, he can die a painful death”?
What if I add that that person is also your brother?
This is the choice Ali faces in this book and, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that donating or not isn’t the only decision he has to make.
The book alternates chapters in the present day to chapters in the first two years of Ali and Yazid’s relationship and we see how it all begun and how things progressed. How the freshness and wonder of a new relationship, blossoming and getting stronger, mixed with the escalating of Tony’s harassment and hate toward Yazid. How Ali and Yaz stood strong together in the face of everything, included an illness worse than Tony.
Tony’s such a nasty piece of work, and the rest of Ali’s family not much better although in a very different way, that I was surprised Ali was still talking to them and I had what would have been my choice figured out pretty soon.
(Putting the following under spoiler because in the end “my” choice was also Ali’s choice)
Of course, I had it all figured out quickly because I wasn’t really in Ali’s place. It’s easy to see things objectively from the outside and family dynamics are complicated at the best of times.
I can completely understand why Ali, despite reacting every single time in the right way when it came to establishing boundaries and standing up for himself, Yazid and their relationship, hadn’t managed to solve the problem after six years, even if there was really only one possible solution.
Ali gets there in the end and in the meantime we get to see how he and Yaz navigate life together, with laughter, compromise and unwavering love and support.
The alternating chapters might not be to everyone’s taste but I didn’t mind, I think they worked well with the story, even if on some occasions I had to relay on the index to recall how much time had passed between two chapters in the same timeline. My only issue is the choice the author made regarding the order of the last two chapters, I would have preferred the
Content warning for one, maybe one and a half, scene of very, very mild BDSM. So mild that it doesn’t even warrant my “light BDSM” shelf.
February 25, 2017
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
Through a series of alternating chapters describing present and past events, author Matthew J. Metzger unpacks a dramatic story that, despite a clear HEA, left me absolutely drained and shocked. Before you decide that flashbacks are not for you or that stories using that literary element frustrate you, I heartily encourage you to take a chance on Thicker Than Bone. It is, hands down, one of the best novels I have ever read and defies being categorized neatly into either romance or thriller and yet has elements of both. But what really makes this story shine are the two main characters and the life they slowly build for themselves despite dealing with life threatening racism, homophobia, and deadly cancer. This is not your typical survivor story. This book reaches into that place inside you where your sense of justice for your fellow man lives and rocks it to the core, causing you to be confronted with what true mindless hate looks like and how it can exist right beside a twisted sort of love. I am literally gob smacked. I so desperately want to chuck this review and just tell you that this novel is important for so many reasons and that you will really be passing up an incredibly passionate and beautiful love story if you do not read it. But review I must—so here goes.
From present day to four years previous, the author plots the life of a biracial gay couple, Ali and Yazid, and their life together. Almost immediately you are aware of the absolute mindless hatred Ali’s psychotic brother Tony has for Yazid. It is easy to be lulled into believing that it is because Yazid is of Iraqi heritage that Tony despises him, but the reasons for his intense anger lay much deeper. As the story reveals, Tony really believes, as does his mother and sister, that Ali’s “gayness” is a passing folly and if he is kept from bad influences that he will change his ways. As the story progresses and we are privy to Ali and Yazid’s lives post-bashing and cancer struggle as it is juxtaposed with the past where the events described have not yet taken place, we are able to track the downward spiral and unraveling of Tony’s contempt for Yazid and his evolution into more and more violent behavior and the result is spine chilling.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
5 stars
Through a series of alternating chapters describing present and past events, author Matthew J. Metzger unpacks a dramatic story that, despite a clear HEA, left me absolutely drained and shocked. Before you decide that flashbacks are not for you or that stories using that literary element frustrate you, I heartily encourage you to take a chance on Thicker Than Bone. It is, hands down, one of the best novels I have ever read and defies being categorized neatly into either romance or thriller and yet has elements of both. But what really makes this story shine are the two main characters and the life they slowly build for themselves despite dealing with life threatening racism, homophobia, and deadly cancer. This is not your typical survivor story. This book reaches into that place inside you where your sense of justice for your fellow man lives and rocks it to the core, causing you to be confronted with what true mindless hate looks like and how it can exist right beside a twisted sort of love. I am literally gob smacked. I so desperately want to chuck this review and just tell you that this novel is important for so many reasons and that you will really be passing up an incredibly passionate and beautiful love story if you do not read it. But review I must—so here goes.
From present day to four years previous, the author plots the life of a biracial gay couple, Ali and Yazid, and their life together. Almost immediately you are aware of the absolute mindless hatred Ali’s psychotic brother Tony has for Yazid. It is easy to be lulled into believing that it is because Yazid is of Iraqi heritage that Tony despises him, but the reasons for his intense anger lay much deeper. As the story reveals, Tony really believes, as does his mother and sister, that Ali’s “gayness” is a passing folly and if he is kept from bad influences that he will change his ways. As the story progresses and we are privy to Ali and Yazid’s lives post-bashing and cancer struggle as it is juxtaposed with the past where the events described have not yet taken place, we are able to track the downward spiral and unraveling of Tony’s contempt for Yazid and his evolution into more and more violent behavior and the result is spine chilling.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
September 6, 2016
У брата Элайи диагностировали стремительно прогрессирующую лейкемию. У Элайи есть шанс его спасти, вот только стоит ли, учитывая, что этот самый брат – агрессивный расист-гомофомб, который чуть не отправил любимого человека главного героя на тот свет?
Лично я надеялась, что Тони (брат) загнется еще до того, как Элайя решит эту моральную дилемму, ибо тот за всю книгу не вызвал ни толики сочувствия.
Мне было гораздо интереснее следить за отношениями Элайи и Язида, настолько они трогательные (но не сахарные!). Меня просто заворожили их постоянные прикосновения, по большей части даже без всякой сексуальной подоплеки, подколки, готовность быть вместе и в болезни, и в радости, знание того, что что бы ты не решил, твой парень всегда будет на твоей стороне…Идеально. Может, эта книга и не планировалась, как история любви, но я воспринимаю ее именно так.
Меня даже не смутил формат, в котором написана книга: в одной главе описывается настоящее, в следующей – события шестилетней давности и так до самого конца. Единственное, что не понравилось, это то, что в последней главе рассказывают про ужасные события в прошлом, хотя в настоящем у героев все хорошо. Надо было все же поменять последние две главы местами и закончить на позитивной ноте. Несмотря на это книга заслуживает большего внимания, всего шестнадцать оценок, хотя после публикации прошел почти год – это совсем не серьезно.
Лично я надеялась, что Тони (брат) загнется еще до того, как Элайя решит эту моральную дилемму, ибо тот за всю книгу не вызвал ни толики сочувствия.
Мне было гораздо интереснее следить за отношениями Элайи и Язида, настолько они трогательные (но не сахарные!). Меня просто заворожили их постоянные прикосновения, по большей части даже без всякой сексуальной подоплеки, подколки, готовность быть вместе и в болезни, и в радости, знание того, что что бы ты не решил, твой парень всегда будет на твоей стороне…Идеально. Может, эта книга и не планировалась, как история любви, но я воспринимаю ее именно так.
Меня даже не смутил формат, в котором написана книга: в одной главе описывается настоящее, в следующей – события шестилетней давности и так до самого конца. Единственное, что не понравилось, это то, что в последней главе рассказывают про ужасные события в прошлом, хотя в настоящем у героев все хорошо. Надо было все же поменять последние две главы местами и закончить на позитивной ноте. Несмотря на это книга заслуживает большего внимания, всего шестнадцать оценок, хотя после публикации прошел почти год – это совсем не серьезно.
January 3, 2016
I'm a huge fan of Matthew Metzger and once again I wasn't disappointed in this new release.
This M/m novel was very cleverly written, delving into the past and returning back to the present in a way that I particularly enjoyed.
Once again the author deals with realistic problems, extreme racism and bullying being one of the main topics in this well thought out novel. The plot-line was one that I'd never encountered before, keeping me wondering throughout the story. The main characters jumped out at me from the pages as Matthew's characters always tend to. The witty banter at the saddest of times was refreshing to read.
Another fine piece of work from an outstanding writer.
This M/m novel was very cleverly written, delving into the past and returning back to the present in a way that I particularly enjoyed.
Once again the author deals with realistic problems, extreme racism and bullying being one of the main topics in this well thought out novel. The plot-line was one that I'd never encountered before, keeping me wondering throughout the story. The main characters jumped out at me from the pages as Matthew's characters always tend to. The witty banter at the saddest of times was refreshing to read.
Another fine piece of work from an outstanding writer.
October 17, 2017
I love Matthew J Metzger's writing. He writes really engaging characters.
3.5 stars rounded up. The half a star deduction is for the forward and back in time format which I would have preferred to have been cut back a fair bit.
3.5 stars rounded up. The half a star deduction is for the forward and back in time format which I would have preferred to have been cut back a fair bit.
December 10, 2015
This is very different from any MM books I have read before so I've found this hard to rate and review - it is definitely not your typical romance which was mainly what prompted me to buy it.
The story centres around Ali and Yazid an already established couple, Ali is white and Yazid is Iraqi born but UK raised. At the beginning Yazid is a year in remission from cancer and they are just starting to rebuild their lives. As the story progresses it hints at a troubled relationship with Ali's family, mainly his racist, swastika tattooed brother Tony, who it turns out attacked Yazid.
This book is told in alternate chapters set in the present and 4/5 years in the past, so you get a look at the beginning of their relationship, the build up to Yazid's cancer diagnosis and ultimately the racist attack on Yazid by Tony. In the present chapters you get the see how years later they are dealing with aftermath of the attack as a couple and how the relationship is with Ali's family today.
And just to make thing more interesting Tony gets his own cancer diagnosis and guess who the bone marrow match is? Yep, Ali! A lot of the chapters are Ali struggling with what to do, whether he should help the brother who caused the man he loves so much hurt as well as dealing with the pressure from his still in denial mother and sister.
Loved Yazid as a character, he was totally there for Ali through everything with out adding more pressure or his hate for Tony onto Ali. These guys were a great couple who were very much in love dealing with a shit load of crap and my heart went out to them.
The down side to this book was the editing problems, I'm not totally sure the correct version of the book was released as the editing errors had lines through them and corrections made. This was irritating at times as I had to re-read lines just to make sure I understood properly.
Other than the editing problems this was a really good book and if you're after something a little bit difference I recommend giving it a read.
The story centres around Ali and Yazid an already established couple, Ali is white and Yazid is Iraqi born but UK raised. At the beginning Yazid is a year in remission from cancer and they are just starting to rebuild their lives. As the story progresses it hints at a troubled relationship with Ali's family, mainly his racist, swastika tattooed brother Tony, who it turns out attacked Yazid.
This book is told in alternate chapters set in the present and 4/5 years in the past, so you get a look at the beginning of their relationship, the build up to Yazid's cancer diagnosis and ultimately the racist attack on Yazid by Tony. In the present chapters you get the see how years later they are dealing with aftermath of the attack as a couple and how the relationship is with Ali's family today.
And just to make thing more interesting Tony gets his own cancer diagnosis and guess who the bone marrow match is? Yep, Ali! A lot of the chapters are Ali struggling with what to do, whether he should help the brother who caused the man he loves so much hurt as well as dealing with the pressure from his still in denial mother and sister.
Loved Yazid as a character, he was totally there for Ali through everything with out adding more pressure or his hate for Tony onto Ali. These guys were a great couple who were very much in love dealing with a shit load of crap and my heart went out to them.
The down side to this book was the editing problems, I'm not totally sure the correct version of the book was released as the editing errors had lines through them and corrections made. This was irritating at times as I had to re-read lines just to make sure I understood properly.
Other than the editing problems this was a really good book and if you're after something a little bit difference I recommend giving it a read.
February 26, 2017
Well, intense and always with that 'knowing what's coming' sense of doom - but actually despite the two heart wrenching themes (hate attack and cancer), you know Yaz survives. And maybe becuase you know he survives, the dread of the story is worse somehow! (Bit like when John Pertwee was Dr Who and I had to watch from behind the settee!)
The story is really one of how the strength of Yaz and Ali's relationship just grows out of the advertsity they have survived.
The story is told in flashback - the historical one of Yaz and Ali meeting, dealing with Ali's nightmare family and the cancer diagnosis and ultimately the attack by Tony. Though these are two big themes in the book, their actuality in the story is quite small but lots of references to them and their aftermaths. I think the trauma of the story would have been heightened to almost impossible levels if told chronologically.
The present time story is the impact of Tony's cancer on Ali and the impossible position he is put in. I really felt for him and ultimately, his first condition was one I hoped he'd do.
I liked the instances where chapters ended and began on the same words, just different context.
Ali's family truly was a nightmare and I'm not sure how I would cope with the passive-agressive behaviours let alone the truly awful Tony.
The story is really one of how the strength of Yaz and Ali's relationship just grows out of the advertsity they have survived.
The story is told in flashback - the historical one of Yaz and Ali meeting, dealing with Ali's nightmare family and the cancer diagnosis and ultimately the attack by Tony. Though these are two big themes in the book, their actuality in the story is quite small but lots of references to them and their aftermaths. I think the trauma of the story would have been heightened to almost impossible levels if told chronologically.
The present time story is the impact of Tony's cancer on Ali and the impossible position he is put in. I really felt for him and ultimately, his first condition was one I hoped he'd do.
I liked the instances where chapters ended and began on the same words, just different context.
Ali's family truly was a nightmare and I'm not sure how I would cope with the passive-agressive behaviours let alone the truly awful Tony.
July 26, 2016
Excellent excellent book.
Kaje Harper has put up a comprehensive review of it here on goodreads and articulates everything about it much better than I could.
I generally prefer not to have flashbacks in the books I read. In this book the flashback structure is engaging and enjoyable. In addition, in the "present day" bits, the characters refer back quite a lot to events and experiences of the previous 6 years. It is cleverly and skilfully done. This is superior writing.
The guys are great, and it was a real pleasure hanging out with them for the duration of the book. I hope (but don't expect) Metzger writes more about them.
Kaje Harper has put up a comprehensive review of it here on goodreads and articulates everything about it much better than I could.
I generally prefer not to have flashbacks in the books I read. In this book the flashback structure is engaging and enjoyable. In addition, in the "present day" bits, the characters refer back quite a lot to events and experiences of the previous 6 years. It is cleverly and skilfully done. This is superior writing.
The guys are great, and it was a real pleasure hanging out with them for the duration of the book. I hope (but don't expect) Metzger writes more about them.
August 24, 2016
Amazing
Matthew J. Metzger is an author I've recently discovered, and I can't read his books fast enough. A love story at its core, this book investigates family, loyalty and the many shades of grey that make up the spectrum between right and wrong.
I fell in love with Ali and Jaz and know this story will stay with me for a while yet.
Matthew J. Metzger is an author I've recently discovered, and I can't read his books fast enough. A love story at its core, this book investigates family, loyalty and the many shades of grey that make up the spectrum between right and wrong.
I fell in love with Ali and Jaz and know this story will stay with me for a while yet.
December 30, 2023
This was ...
... I think I'll call it heartbreaking and still infinitely comforting.
What they have, Ali and Yaz, is just ... what makes everything worth it in the end. The pain, the suffering, the guilt ... it's just they, together, can get through it and come out stronger in the end.
I really loved this book, even if it made me cry as well.
... I think I'll call it heartbreaking and still infinitely comforting.
What they have, Ali and Yaz, is just ... what makes everything worth it in the end. The pain, the suffering, the guilt ... it's just they, together, can get through it and come out stronger in the end.
I really loved this book, even if it made me cry as well.
August 27, 2016
3.5 stars
April 21, 2017
I have read YA books by this author and have loved them so was looking forward to reading this. I was not disappointed in this thought-provoking read. The portrayal of the characters and how they faced what life threw at them was realistically done. Some may be put off by the chopping timelines but it actually fitted the story best, interweaving the two plots together.
5 stars
5 stars
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