This was one of those beautiful, but heartbreaking, but hopeful books. You know the type. It starts out pleasant enough, but then it makes you sad, but then it redeems itself and the writing is engaging and beautiful and absorbing? That type. I could probably call more than a few of those to mind off the top of my head. Anyway, this is that book. 

I saw a lot of positive reviews, but was tentative about putting it on my TBR. Then I saw that Julia Whelan narrated the audiobook and I rushed over to Libby and put it on hold. By the time my turn came up. I’d forgotten that JW narrated it and so I was so very happy to hear her voice when I started the audio. As usual, she does an exceptional job. She makes a beautiful story even more beautiful. (And quite frankly, her narration helps me through the sad parts, too.)

When I say that the writing was absorbing, I really felt like I was there. It helps that I’m a native Angelino (Angelina? No really, folx, I do speak Spanish) and every location, intersection, freeway, even up to the trip up and down I-5 and those landmarks, I recognized. It’s so different experiencing a book when you actually know the locale. There’s even more investment in the reading. 

It was a pretty quick read, and I wouldn’t have minded if more pages had been added to focus on Emilie’s sense of identity. And (small spoiler) I was hoping we’d get closure for Grant and Sara. Other than that, the characters were people whose stories you wanted to learn and they were satisfying to the very end. 

CW: addiction, drug use, death of a parent, death of a loved one, sexual content/assault