This was a very compulsive read. I finished it in a day which rarely happens to me. Let me just say that Henry was a well-written protagonist because there were times when I did understand him, but for quite a portion of my reading experience, he annoyed the hell out of me. The range of his personality amazed me! There was angst, but there was also heart and soul into it. S.D. Hutchinson's prose was intricate, with deep layers that one should exfoliate should you desire to immerse fully into the character's heads BUT they were not purple. A striking balance of depth, fluidity, and accessibility.

This is basically a John Green novel with real characters (yes, even the side characters have distinct personalities, clear goals and flaws, and surprisingly, good character arcs) and less pretentiousness.

What struck me as a little bit exhausting was the frequent discussion of

Spoiler

suicide. Henry's ex-boyfriend. Every chapter or so, they kept on discussing him, his death and how they blame themselves. I have no problem with this, but when Hutchinson did this, they felt force and a little bit banal. I just wished he worded the scenes differently so that it won't feel too repetitive

Also, I feel like the romantic subplot in this novel overshadowed the sci-fi aspect of it. It wasn't necessary, in my opinion. I love reading romance novels but if I read a non-romance book that features a lot of romance plot points, it somehow hinders my enjoyment. It would be better if this love interest of him turned out to be a best friend because I didn't feel the real connection within these two. They just used each other because of need, not out of true love. Could be realistic if you consider teenage love, but no, I've had enough of that bullshit.

I would have liked it, had Hutchinson focused on the aliens—their world and maybe more details on who they really were—but I think that's not the main point of the story. The kidnapping drama and the alien characters are symbolisms, maybe Henry's own adaptation to trauma, depression, and nihilistic views. I'm just thinking out loud about that final point I made, I am not really sure, but all I know is that those aliens are not to be treated literally.

Bottomline: This is an important story, and I'm sure a lot of people loved it (and will love it). While I had some issues reading it, I still believe that is a solid story. S.D. Hutchinson is a good writer and storyteller, and my doors (and occasionally my purse) are always open for his stories.