This story was dark and it hit hard. I felt some real hurt from this book, and that only shows how good of a writer Grace O'Connell is.

Our lead, Veda, is taken hostage on a bus. It's scary, people are going to die, and Veda is just the random bystander who got stuck in the middle of the mess. She hasn't had the easiest of lives, and it seems like everyone around is is slowly figuring everything out (yet also crashing and burning just as hard as her at the same time). Everyone's relationships seem to be struggling or really bad for them, yet everyone goes on as if life is normal.

I'd be curious to see someone tear this book apart and explain the themes. I think Grace was trying to go somewhere with these issues, but it just felt all around dark. People's lives were crumbling, Veda takes a deep dive in a random direction near the end, and the ending is just as mind blowing. Was there a reason? Was this just fiction and meant to shock people? I want to know.

This book was presented to me as a thriller, but I feel like it's more of a character development study or contemporary story. The thrills don't last as long as the relationships and drama. It's also a very slow moving story, so if you love fast paced books like me then it might not hit as well.

My biggest con of this book was that it jumped back and forth between the timelines. I wanted to see how the entire scenario before the incident occurred and then jump into the scary situation Veda was presented with. The way the book was written, it did leave me clinging to the pages and wanting to know more, but it also frustrated me immensely.

Overall, this book is truly unique and I'm glad I had a chance to pick it up. I love reading books by Canadians even if they aren't my typical genres. I think this book will really hit with some people! It's truly moving.

Three out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.