"It’s hard to remember sometimes all that goes into a life, all the different versions of a person, throughout the years, all the ways in which people are capable of changing."

A well-intentioned book that I didn't feel accomplished what it wanted to.

There's a clear message and hope for this story and I appreciate that, however; the message was rushed and lost to the convoluted, dull character plotlines. There were so many long paragraphs about mundane things and instead of connecting me with the characters or showing their humanity, it just made the entire book a bit tedious.

As for the plot itself, I couldn't bring myself to care for any of the characters beyond the barest hint of sympathy. Even the attempts at redeeming a specific character felt rushed, performative, and too sudden to have any meaning.

The narration - in an attempt to be accessible - felt extremely stilted and cringy. There are parts where the characters discuss having the entire mall put on a flash mob in hopes it will go viral, thus ensuring a character gets into college. There's another entire paragraph about the mucus of a dog. It's... a mess.

Overall, I see what the author wanted to do and I think - based off of the reviews - a lot of other people really connected with that. Unfortunately, I didn't feel anything aside from boredom and irritation.

While I don't necessarily recommend it, it's worked for so many other people that I know I'm in the minority. If it sounds interesting to you and the subject matter doesn't seem triggering, then I'd suggest checking it out.