MY THOUGHTS:
I don’t cry often when it comes to books. I am usually very good at holding the tears back. However, this book had me sobbing. I couldn’t even make it through the last chapters. I had to stop a few times to calm myself down. The main reason being is because my mother right now, is…fading away very slowing. I was Connor. For a couple of weeks, I was speaking lies while my nightmares where my truth. I didn’t want to admit that I was losing my mother. That who she was, was becoming someone new. And the new person was angry, saying such hurtful things. All the while I was blaming myself. I kept saying, if only I could have done something. If only I had been there. Maybe she weren’t be leaving me.

However, after reading this book. It really helped me see the light. So, when I went home to watch her. Even if she may not fully understood me. I told her ‘it’s okay mama, I’ll be alright. Please, if you’re tired. It’s okay. It’s really okay. Go home to the stars.” And she only said ‘okay.’ I don’t know if she got what I was saying but I hope she did. I still have hope that she’ll get better but I see the truth. There is no reason to keep lying to myself. Because it’s not about me. It’s about her. And if she does end up dying, I’ll be angry for a while but as the months go by, it will get easier. I just hope I’ll be strong enough to handle it.

GOOD POINTS
This while book is beautifully written. It doesn’t even matter if it’s for younger children. I think anyone dealing with death, truth and lies should read this book. The story of Connor and the pain he was going through is hard for anyone. And knowing that he called the monster to him, helped him see the light. Helped him to let it all out. That it was okay. That it was okay to say ‘Don’t leave me.” That even if you’re angry about it, your hurt, and it’s okay to show that.

Mr. Ness really showed that with the monster. I thought the monster was amazing. He wasn’t a nightmare. He was there for you. To help. Even if it wasn’t always a ‘nice’ way, it was still amazing to see how an author portrayed that.

The interaction between Connor and the Monster was….so different than most characters. From the moment they met, they bantered at each other but the monster was still not going to deal with a 13 year old shit. Lol And it had funny moments. With the harshness. And sadness.

From the beginning to the end, it was written well and you could feel the writing; all the emotions behind it. How much he put into the story. The storytelling was just…overwhelming and downright incredible.

BAD POINTS:
It was too short for me. Lol

The only thing that I even found bad in this story was the grandmother and father. I really do wish that we had more interaction with them. Something.

I do get why there wasn’t. Everyone was dealing with the elephant in the room. And it was hard on everyone’s emotions. But I do wish that we could have seen that a little bit more. I think that would (in my opinion) made the story so much more.

OVERALL:
In the middle of the night, you hear the monster calling your name. Do you answer or do you ignore it? How far would you go to hide your emotions?