I liked this book,
but didn’t love it. I felt as though there was so much potential and so much
that could have been further developed but just ended up falling flat.
The story is about a 17 year old girl named Tessa dealing
with the recent loss of her mother to cancer and her grief stricken father who
can no longer be the supportive parent that Tessa needs at this time. Her
father pulls her along on a spontaneous road trip culminating in their arrival
at her grandmother’s home in small faraway town.
It’s here where Tessa meets Henry Lark, an intelligent,
mysterious boy with a love for reading similar to her own. With the help of
Henry, and other people she meets during her stay, she embarks on a journey to
save the Pixiebell – a plant that her mother spent her whole life keeping
alive; one of the few things Tessa has left to remember her.
Though a lot of emphasis is put on the romance between Tessa
and Henry, the book is ultimately about acceptance, life after loss and dealing
with grief. The grief and guilt Tessa feels regarding her mothers death is
heartbreaking and a point where the reader can truly connect with her. However
the part that disappointed me was the way Caletti handled the Tessa-Henry
romance. The suspicions the reader will likely develop about Henry do end up
being correct in the books heartbreaking climax, but the way Tessa dealt with
this is where I felt that the book was disappointing.
{SPOILERS//: I have no problem with the plot twist itself,
in fact I think that it was a really interesting and refreshing change in the
typical teenage romance. What bothered me is that though Tessa is initially
heartbroken by the revelation of Henry’s sexuality, just a few pages later, she
seems completely over it and they carry on a cutesy “long lost sibling”
friendship. After so much of he book emphasizing how in love she was with
Henry, and though not overly affectionate, Henry did return her sentiments, I
am honestly irritated that Tessa is just okay with how Henry led her on for so
long. It was so clear that Tessa was head-over-heels for this guy. I understand
that this was a really hard time in Henry’s life and he wasn’t ready to come to
terms and admit his sexuality, but the least he could have done is not led Tessa
on. If he really cared for her as much as he said he did, he would have at
least tried not to break her heart. ://SPOILERS}
Besides the areas that were a bit frustrating to me, I
enjoyed this book. It did drag on a bit in the first few chapters but once you
got past those, it definitely picked up. I wish we could have seen a bit more
of Tessa’s growth and seen a bit more intimately how she dealt with her guilt
and grief, as it seemed a bit scattered; it would be mentioned quickly, and
then overshadowed by something else happening.
An entertaining read, but not the best.
6.5/10
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