This is a love story, but not romantic love. Instead, it’s about a love between friends, old and new. Caddy and Rosie have been friends for a decade when into their lives comes Suzanne, a girl with a dark past and a bright exterior surface designed to hide it. As Suzanne’s former life gradually gets revealed, Caddy is pulled closer in. She’s drawn to Suzanne’s ability to have fun, but also to her rule-breaking which makes average Caddy feel cool. Things gradually come to a head as more and more of Suzanne’s former life is revealed, and the final few scenes are gripping and absolutely heart-breaking.
This is the second book by Sara Barnard that I’ve read, and considering how much I loved A Quiet Kind of Thunder, I genuinely don’t understand why I’ve not just gone out and bought everything she’s ever written and read it immediately. Her writing is pure and beautiful, and emotionally vivid. She writes well-rounded, honest characters, and this story cuts straight to the heart – it nearly had me in tears more than once.
I may have received a free e-copy of this book from Netgalley, but I loved it so much that I bought the physical version too, along with the sequel Fierce Fragile Hearts, which I cannot wait to start.