They’re the kind of concerns every teenager goes through. At first, her worries and concerns are very relatable. I’m trying really hard not to give too much away, so forgive me if I am being too vague! I don’t want to ruin the story for you!Įmma is a gamer. We see Rev’s protectiveness, his fear, his compassion and his self-doubt, and they’re all highlighted by this other boy who has his own issues going on. The introduction of Rev’s foster brother, Matthew, also works really well. It’s not ridiculous over-the-top dramatics, it’s moments of self-doubt that the author puts into context.

Rev is a truly believable character, and I think that’s what makes this book so powerful. I know about the cycle of abuse, and I’ve spent a lot of hours wondering when I would start to change.’

‘I’ve wondered how my father turned into the man he was. The kind of things that leave you wondering how you can move on to be a normal human being. The kind of things that leave scars on the outside and scars on the inside. He’s been through things that most people couldn’t imagine. I say abused, but it seems ‘tortured and mind fucked by a religious fanatic who has gone off the deep end’ would be more apt. Rev was adopted after being abused as a child by his natural father. Rev and Emma are two very different characters. And yeah, there’s plenty of angst, but don’t panic, this is no Twilight. With this in mind, this is not a steamy book. Their actual ages confused me because I’m not used to the American high school system, but I eventually worked out that they’re about 18 and 17 respectively. The main characters are teenagers who are attending high school. I was up until after midnight last night, my husband fast asleep beside me, and I couldn’t stop reading. Man, you know it’s a good book when you care enough about the characters to cry when they’re hurting.

More than we can tell brigid kemmerer