The Healer: A Heartrending YA Novel of Mystical Power, Questioning Faith, and First Love

by Donna Freitas

Marlena Oliveira has—mysteriously, miraculously—been given the power to heal all kinds of ailments. People around the world believe she is a saint. But her power comes at a price: she can’t go to school, she can’t have friends her own age, and she certainly can’t date.

Then she meets Finn, a boy who makes her want to fall in love. For the first time, she begins to doubt whether her gift is worth all that she must give up to keep it.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary, Magical Realism, Fiction, Young Adult Romance

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2018

About the author

Donna Freitas is the author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention, and many other novels and nonfiction books for adults, children, and young adults. Her latest YA novel is a rom-com that takes place in her favorite city, Barcelona: Stefi and the Spanish Prince. She has been featured on NPR and The Today Show, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The LA Times, among many other places. Donna currently serves on the faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s MFA program. She also lives half the year in Barcelona where she loves partaking of its many bakeries and delicious restaurants galore. Learn more about Donna at www.donnafreitas.com and on Substack: https://donnafreitas.substack.com.

Reviews

[alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really liked this one! Full RTC!

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

At 18, Marlena had yet to attend school, go to a dance, or get her first kiss. She had been kept separate from the world and revered for her gift as a healer. Tired of living in her "saint" bubble, she rebelled, and began stretching her wings a little, as she attempted to discover who she was when not being The Healer.

• Pro: Freitas set this initial mood with her beautiful writing, which really captured the mystical quality of Marlena the Saint. I found myself fully absorbed in her world, and was enthralled by the mystery of her gift.

• Pro: I always love a cute romance, and the feelings and euphoria of first love was so well illustrated. Finn and Marlena made me smile and my heart pitter-pat. Their love and affection radiated off the page, and warmed me from the inside out.

• Pro: Marlena's struggle with her identity was quite interesting and sometimes painful. Marlena the Saint was someone crafted by her mother, but who was Marlena, and who did she want to be?

• Pro: The naivety Marlena displayed was believable, and it was sort of interesting seeing and experiencing so many things for the first time with her.

• Pro: Marlena's frustration at her lack of connection and feelings of exploitation were palpable. I felt so much empathy for her. And her guilt! My heart cracked in half, as Marlena dealt with her feelings of betrayal for abandoning her gifts, her responsibilities.

• Pro: Freitas left me a sobbing mess at the end of this book. The tears started flowing at 91%, and I pretty much couldn't stop. So, that is a testament to my connection to the characters and their story.

Overall: A heartwarming and heartbreaking coming-of-age story, which explored love and faith and the different ways one can fulfill their destiny.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

”Through my gift and the sacrifices that go with it, I anchor the town and everyone in it. That is my job, has always been my life’s purpose. It’s all I’ve ever known. But I want to know more. I want to know other things.”

What would you do if you had the power to heal people? Marlena Oliveira has had this mysterious power bestowed on her for all her life. Since she was a little girl, people have come from far and wide just to have a chance to be in her audience and be cured of whatever ailment they have. Her gift comes at a price, though. Her mother closely guards her and keeps her from doing things a normal girl would do -- have friends, go to the movies, drive, wear regular clothing. And don’t even get started on dating. That’s absolutely out of the question. Marlena wants more, and when encounters a boy named Finn, that something more might not be so far out of reach.

This book was… interesting. I think it had potential to be a lot more than what it was, but it was a good, solid read. Just like Marlena herself, this book itself is a mystery. There are so many unanswered questions the reader will still have after the book is over. And while life is a mystery in and of itself, these dangling threads the author leaves us with could easily have been solved.

I would have loved to get more insight into Marlena’s mother and her backstory, as I think it might have explained her behavior and made her at least a little more sympathetic. Marlena’s gifts are not really explained, which I would be fine with, but when she decides to take this vacation from healing they suddenly disappear. Poof. And they don’t come back. We don’t know why. I felt the storyline about Angie and her studies on Marlena and other kids with gifts was done rather poorly and half-heartedly. I wanted more focus on Finn and Marlena’s last days together, as I felt it was rushed. I wanted to know more about Mrs. Jacobs and why she doubted. She had all of two scenes and, though the author’s writing, was made to feel like a much bigger deal than what she was. There was just not enough explaining and tying up loose ends for my taste.

Marlena is a very sympathetic character. A girl with an extraordinary gift yet living an extremely sheltered life, she is at her mother’s mercy. We see her change from doing everything her mother tells her to do to wanting more out of her life. It’s not like she’s asking for much- her mother has not let her do the things that most teenagers take for granted. Her mother has made her into this almost god-like figure, and you can’t help but wonder if she’s really doing it for Marlena’s good or for her own selfish purposes.

”Lately, the more I begin to love the world, the more my mother begins to hate me.”

I think readers will find a lot not to like about Marlena’s mother, and she never really redeems herself or becomes better in the end.

The funny thing is, the author tries through various characters and methods to make Marlena’s questioning her gifts and whether she wants to live this sheltered life a bad thing. Like Marlena shouldn’t want this. However, the author makes the surrounding characters who are doing the questioning so shameful and selfish that you’ll be exclusively on Marlena’s side. The entire town revolves around Marlena and her gift. As she points out to them in one of the most powerful moments in the book, they’ve been taking advantage of her since she was a child. And not once did they ever ask for her consent or permission to do that. You can’t help but be sympathetic to her cause at wanting more.

However, in finding this rebellion, this book uses one of my most hated tropes: the power of love trope. Gag. Marlena meets this special boy and soon she starts questioning things.

I felt Finn and Marlena’s romance was purely a plot device and not really necessary to the plot. We get almost no insight into Finn at all, and I feel like I barely know him. After almost 400 freaking pages I can’t tell you much about the dude. All I can really tell you is that he goes from seemingly hating Marlena to not being able to live without here with no in between. We don’t really get to see the evolution of their relationship; it goes from zero to one hundred in a very short amount of time. He just seems like a catalyst to Marlena’s change in behavior and nothing more. I just couldn’t get invested in their romance the way the author really wanted me to.

While Marlena is very fleshed out, strong character and I was invested in her journey, the abundance of unanswered questions and weak romance made this just an average read.

[Tracy (The Pages In-Between) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Edelweiss and Harper Teen for gifting me an E-ARC in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

This was a great YA book. It is hard to pin point this genre, it's kind of several genres mashed into one book, and while that doesn't work for some books, it did work for this one, I felt. I think it had a very good message to it, and I appreciated the fact that it wasn't a happily ever after type of YA book. This one is sad, and it is emotional. From a semi-heartless mom, to finding first love, and having to choose between everything she has ever known, and the new outlook she has on life. 

I came across this book on Edelweiss, initially it was the cover that got my attention, and then I read the synopsis and I was sold! Luckily I didn't have to wait long as Harper Teen approved my request within hours. Thank you! I was hoping that I would like this one, and I was hoping it would provide for a nice distraction from all that is going on in my life right now, and it did. 

I loved Marlena and Finn. They were so cute,and I appreciated their emotional love story. I want to add, I don't read books with religious undertones, that's just not something I am into. This one does mention God a lot, and her belief in him, as well as several mentions of spirituality. I didn't mind it, and I do not think it was too over-bearing, or preachy. So I am very appreciative of that. 

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marlena is a healer - a living saint. People come from far and wide to be healed by her, the small town she lives in makes their living off selling souvenirs with her image, and her mother has shaped Marlena's entire life around her identity as a child with a gift from God. Marlena has never been touched, been to the doctor, gone to school, had friends - any of the things that a normal eighteen year old girl would do. And she craves it.

As Marlena begins to open her world to the possibility of more, she see's a change in her gift. But a chance at love with a boy named Finn, who actually sees her as something more than Marlena the Healer, is something she does not want to let go. As her feelings for Finn grow and she leaves her previous life behind, Marlena must decide whether it is more important to heal or to live.

I thought the writing in this book was absolutely beautiful. Marlena is a character with such depth, that I honestly felt all of her internal conflict right along with her. The love story between Marlena and Finn is very sweet, but ultimately this a story of personal growth for a young woman who suddenly is faced with questioning herself, her faith, her family, and her role in the world.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Healer is a compelling and unique book. It is a very different coming of age story, yet despite Marlena’s special abilities that set her apart in the world, her story of falling in love for the first time, discovering who she is and is meant to be and learning to stand up for herself is universal.

Marlena is a Healer. Some say she is touched by God, others say she is a saint. For years, her mother has decided how she will live and what she will do. But as Marlena begins to stretch her wings, she must decide if being a healer defines her or if she can heal on her own terms.

At first, I was expecting a book similar to The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee, but The Healer is not about plants or potions and is far more mystical and religious. Marlena isn’t sure where her powers come from, some days she’s not even sure she really has powers. But her mother is a firm believer that Marlena has been touched by God and a church and religious group has risen up around Marlena. The constant attention is something that Marlena hates the most. She longs for connection with people not awe and fear from afar. She wants to be able to walk down the street of her hometown without seeing her face on souvenirs in the windows of shops. She wants to live a normal life.

Pushing the boundaries of her constrained life means conflict with her controlling mother. It means discovering a whole range of options never before open to her. It means learning who she wants to be and who she doesn’t. But there is also a cost.

The Healer is both a coming of age story and a love story. When Marlena meets Finn it is love at first sight for her and there is an undeniable attraction between them. But their romance, despite being quick and intense, has a lot to overcome. I am more than happy to get behind a quick romantic story line when the connection between the couple is believable and I was 100% behind Marlena and Finn. The moments they share, Marlena’s newness and awkwardness with it all was totally adorable.

Donna Freitas’ writing style is beautiful in The Healer and she crafts an entrancing story that I was immediately drawn to. The mystery behind Marlena’s healing talent is never fully explained in The Healer, leaving it up to the reader to decide how much they believe in her gift and its possible options. I was surprised, delighted and charmed by The Healer, by Marlena and by this story of growing up, falling in love, learning, loving, losing and living.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library

[Emily The Enchantress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stop reading at the end of chapter 31 if you want this to be happy, beautiful story full of growth & young love & creating your life on your own terms. I literally just balwed my eyes out at the last 1oo pages. that's all i will say

Also Morgan, if you see this, fuck you for telling me this was a great book & that i should read it. the pages will forever be stained with the salt from my tears & i blame you

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Healer by Donna Freitas, 400 pages. HarperTeen, October 2018. $18.

Language: PG (11 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: R (on page sex); Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

For all of her 17 years, Marlena has been the healer girl – the untouchable Savior who dispenses healing every Saturday – for a price, but Marlena doesn’t know that, because her mother has always been in charge of everything. But something someone yelled at her and a boy she once saw won’t leave her mind. Is there more to the world to healing? Can Marlena have a normal life with friends and love and still be a healer?

For all that Marlena’s healing power came supposedly from God, she has no personal relationship with him and seems to discard him quickly when a pretty boy comes into her life. While the issues seem to be deep, they remain on the surface as angst, not a crisis of faith. Had Frietas established a deeper connection between Marlena and God, her choices would have been more monumental. Frietas does cover some deep issues of identity, personal choice, love and loss among others – but personal faith is not one of those issues.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian

[Lex]

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I can't. I just can't seem to finish this book. It's boring me so much it took this long for me to DNF this. So, yeah, I'm not rating this cause that seems unfair of me if I didn't even finish it.

[Fiona Montgomery · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5- no resolutions.

[Sonya Huser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book through #ROYAL (Reviewers of Young Adult Literature) in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Let me introduce you to a character known as a living saint. She doesn’t experience touch unless it is for a healing. She is subservient and obedient. She wears white, shapeless dresses always. She speaks to her mother in Spanish and has an old-fashioned name. It is summer and she’s walking the beach, narrating about her ancestors of the Azores islands. Are you imagining something old-timey? I mentioned the beach and the Spanish: are you imaging some exotic local?

Wrong! The setting is a New England coastal village in the present day. I thought it was jarring, but probably that is the point: to show how conflicted Marlena was trying to navigate between two worlds, being pulled in two directions.

Like Twilight, there was really only one sex scene, but boy did this character talk about sex a LOT. Much like Edward constantly having to restrain Bella, Finn was always making up rules to keep Marlena virginal as long as possible. For example, he only allows one of them to ever be naked at a time. He reminds her that …”there are lots of things we can do other than kissing, Marlena. And there are many kinds of sex.” (p. 289) Speaking of sex, it might have been nice if the author had thrown in a line about how to have those “many kinds of sex” safely. The characters are older: Marlena is 18 and Finn is 21. Though Marlena is naïve and seems younger in many ways, she knows she is an adult, and is not only up for rebellion, but doing all manner of adult things as quickly as possible.

As to the speculative elements? Inconclusive: readers must decide for themselves. Some readers will consider this lazy writing, but I generally consider readers who can't think while they're reading to be lazy readers. Moving on.

I do appreciate the unique take on spirituality: Some of Marlena’s conflicts are quite compelling. The idea of a gift that feels more like a curse and her responsibilities to sick people in her past, present, or future because of her gift builds empathy for her character. Where does her gift come from and why? God? Another interesting religious aspect is that while a following has built up around Marlena in the form of a church, it is without a religion. People assume Marlena has a close relationship with God, but she is unsure of how she feels.

This book is for teens, OLDER teens, or new adult even if your library makes that distinction.

[Anita Eti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read some other works by this author that I liked, but I was still pleasantly surprised by her foray into a very unique genre.

This book deals with Marlena, a teenaged girl, who from birth has possessed this remarkable power of healing. At age 18 however, she is sick of it. Sick of what she can do, sick of the hype, the intrusion, sick of God, and longing for normalcy. She wants to go on a date, a party, or even a movie. She wants to go to regular school and wear clothes people her age wear, but she can't because her overprotective mother feels like that will dry up her miraculous God-given power, so she seems to be destined to live like a pariah for the rest of her life.

Until she meets Finn.
And he shows what living truly is.

OK, this is where my problem starts. I thought I was getting a book about healing and how this affects Marlena and her relationship with God (who supposedly gave her these powers) but it turns into a love fest (a pretty graphic one of you know what I mean) when she meets Finn. And then because its YA, it's apparently not possible to have a deep inner conflict...but rather a lot of that conflict comes from something quite dramatic that happens in her relationship with, you guessed it, Finn.

But other than that, it was a pretty good book. For all the angsty teenagers out there, this would definitely be relatable. Disclaimer: I personally didn't cry, and I saw a lot of other reviews mentioning tears, but this is IMO not a very sad book, probably because I wasn't attached to the characters that much. But who knows? Maybe you will cry

So this was definitely different from what I normally read, but it was quite interesting. Would make a good rainy day read.

Thanks Edelweiss+ for an ARC of this book

[Crocodile master · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was pretty slow ... honestly a few chapters in I thought, dammit this book is so boring why did I start it cos now I have to finish it. So I trudged through. I really disliked Marlena and her severe case of “I’M NoT LikE oTheR gIrls” syndrome. I did start to like her character more as the book progressed because she was able to show passion and anger. The scene where she completely plundered the towns ass had me laughing ... it reminded me of the scene in the bible where Jesus thrashed the townspeople for selling things in a sacred place of worship. Perhaps this scene could be a parallel?
Anyways I thought Marlena was very selfish for not wanting to help heal others. Idk I guess that’s all part of her “I’m not a perfect saint” appeal. I think this book could work on deepening their characters. I really felt like Finn, Josè, Fatima, and Marlena’s mum were underdeveloped despite being main characters. I didn’t even feel sad when Finn died. It all felt very rushed over and honestly I didn’t even sympathise with Marlena, that’s how disconnected I felt from the characters and their willy-nilly lovestory. I honestly felt like Marlena was so deprived of the male species being locked up in that holy mansion that she fell in love w the first hot dude she laid eyes on and for some reason he fell in love with her too.
However, this book was quite interesting and I read it all in a short amount of time so yes I would say that plot keeps you going. Also even though the love story was kinda shallow , it did fuel my interest lmao. Also, I feel like the Healing power should’ve been further explained.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know that this book is fantasy, but it was hard to believe. Marlena is a healer, and her mother is controlling, full of business cunning, and regulates her towards living a life more or less like a nun.

One day, Marlena is tired of it all and goes from wearing long white nightgowns and never being hugged to wearing bikinis (somehow also learning how to swim immediately), going to parties, and getting a boyfriend.

Somehow we are expected to believe that her mother loves her and isn't using her, while also essentially keeping her locked up. We're also supposed to believe that when Marlena decides to take a break from healing that her mom gives her everything she wants. Clearly the author does not know what controlling people are like.

Then, "God" gets mad that she has taken a few weeks off from healing and her gift is gone. What a great coincidence to serve the plot and her self-doubt!

From one extreme to another is the theme of this book. And for what? To accept that contradictory things can exist together? To be yourself?

This book would have been much better if the world was more magical, or if the healing thing had been removed entirely. Other than the mention of a few other test subjects, there is no magic. Marlena came off as a closeted, naive girl who has been celebrated but also isolated. More than once I was reminded of Rapunzel, if her evil "mother" had somehow been raking in money and fame while keeping her away. Removing the magical element entirely would at least make for a more believable conflict between family expectations and coming of age.

[Kennah Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would not really recommend this book to anyone. The romance didn’t really matter or make much sense, the effort put into giving them chemistry was little to none and I couldn’t have cared less about them; however the potential for finn was almosttt there. Now let’s talk about her healing abilities, literally makes absolutely no sense. It literally gives firm evidence that she does indeed heal people yet at the end that is COMPLETELY looked over and is revealed she actually doesn’t? When I tell you it makes no sense, it makes no sense. God this book did not age well especially with her outfit choices, I get she was extremely closed off from the rest of the world but why oh why did the author have to make her dress like a 6 y/o, at one point she wore diamond studded pants with a fuchsia sweater and green flip-flops…yeah don’t ask me. Her mother was meant to come off as being over bearing and controlling but when marlena asks for freedom it is immediately given to her, which doesn’t exactly drive the point home. I honestly felt as if I was reading a rough draft because that’s exactly what it was, rough. I wouldn’t waste time on this book it just isn’t worth it.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read, but the overall story felt like their were pieces missing. I wanted to know sooooo much more about Marlena's mother, and how not only her grandparents but how her father died. I wanted to know a lot more, and found myself frustrated at the lack of clarity. On the other hand, the storytelling and character development of Marlena, Finn, and even other characters like Angie, Mrs. Lewis, and Fatima was really well done. The ending seemed very lackluster to me. I loved the return to being Marlena the Saint, and how she is basically renouncing the life that she built with Finn, and that was very interesting. But it just felt kind of bored with itself. I wanted to see more of their time together after before Finn died, or at least more of her life after her died. It felt a little hollow. However, I liked this book a lot, and while I might not read it again, I was happy to have read it.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The young girl is famous in her town for her ability to heal people. It comes at a price because she is unable to live a normal life. In fact, her mother keeps her locked away in a beautiful big house by the sea where she is tended to by a housekeeper and a driver. No one is permitted to touch her, she has only one friend (someone she healed long ago), but this is all she knows.
As Marlena starts to feel things for a boy, her world (by her mother's standards) comes crashing down. She leaves the world of healing to explore love but it comes at a high price.
The book sparks thoughts about hope, love, relationships, faith, and the power of the human mind. It is also about sacrifice. It shows how the power of love can penetrate through a world devoid of anything remotely resembling it and how it heals in the end.

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest reviews. I have read books like this before but not to this extent. I know that she feels like she has to live by a lot of rules and the one that seems to be the most challenging is the one to not fall in love. That is when she meets Finn and she knows that falling in love is against the rules, but who can deny the hear what it wants. There is so much going on in Marlena life and she does not even know about some it. She is healing people and believing she is doing the right this, but her mother is charging people to be healed. There is so much going on and topics touched. I don't want to give away too much. I did enjoy reading this. Get it for yourselves. Happy reading. 

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the E-arc copy of The Healer. I am not usually one for books in a religious subject matter, but I found this one really interesting. Donna Freitas is an excellent storyteller and The Healer is a showcase of her talent. Marlena, the main character, is a healer and can heal ailments, injuries, and etc. She is at an age where growing up means becoming her own person separate from her family. In meeting Finn, a romance pushes this forward. Her mother wants everything to be controlled and the same, but in life growing up is hard. Marlena is a great character and Donna Freitas has created a wonderful magical novel about the unexpected things in life.

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was glad that Freitas tackled spiritual questions in this book--Do healing powers really exist? How does our understanding of God affect our worldview? How is a teenager's coming of age impacted by beliefs? But I found her answers shallow, perhaps because her characters were flat (the mother really annoyed me) and perhaps because the book's structure was manipulated. Her portrayal of the women Christian mystics was severely wanting. In the end the spiritual dimensions of the book were overshadowed by the ordinary thrill of a teen coming into bodily and sexual awareness.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. I found this in the YA section of my library, and the plot sounded interesting (Especially after college textbooks). I loved the storyline, the writing was amazing! However... (and please note I was raised in the Bible Belt so that might have something to do with it) I almost didn’t give it 5 stars. If this is true YA, it’s like 17+ YA. There’s a sexual scene towards the middle of the book, and kind of one at the end. Other than that, I loved the book and read Marlena’s story in about 2.5 hours, I couldn’t put it down!

[Brooke Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully simplistic writing draws you into this story, of a very complicated girl. You are torn with her wanting to be a healer, and wanting her to be normal. The pulls of two worlds building to a final collision. But, I felt unsatisfied that we never got down to the bottom of her gift. Wonderfully entrancing and emotionally pulling, but there was definitely potential to go deeper. Maybe a sequel? 🙏🏽

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 18 years of being told what to do by her mother, never having human contact expect to heal other, and living a life of solitude so her reputation will not be ruined. Marlene has decided to take her life into her own hands and live like a normal teenager. It’s a fun journey she travels down but like many roads, there is bound to be a few bumps. Marlena has to choose between the solitude life of a healer or the love of her life.

[Basma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book a low rating due to it's heart breaking end, and the fact that we never knew where her powers came from. I hated the toxic actions of her mother but also hated how she ended up acting.
Reading this book wasn't a bad experience overall, but at times the main character just got on my nerves.
Maybe I'm just not fit for reading romance...

[CR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story about a girl who is a healer and has been known as a child of god was one I won't soon forget. It had a sweet romance that was not the full focus of the story and two characters that found themselves in each other. I loved how Marlena found what she wanted and that this was all wrapped up. Although not an HEA I think this ending although sad fit the story as a whole.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually a 4.75-ish.

This book grabbed me in the first few pages and I had a HECK of a time putting it down. It did slow down a bit for me a bit over halfway through, but I enjoyed the beginning so much it balanced.

[Sophie Sternschuss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I wanted to live this book more than I did . It took me ages to actually sit down and get in to it . I did like the story line and the twist wasn’t predictable. I think I’m maybe getting a little to old for ya now for my tastes.

[Felisha Hoppstetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that it was a very good book. I think that teenagers can learn a lot from this book. This book had some unexpected parts. My favorite part was when Marlena met Finn. My least favorite part was the very end, it had a sort of unexpected ending. I would recommend this book to teenagers.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like how a lot of things were left unanswered. I also felt like half of the book was a bit boring. But I did come to like Finn and the ending was so sad but so real. Just wish more things had been sort of explained.

[Florence Migga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking.