This book made me happy, then not

For those of you who enjoy YA fiction, I would definitely recommend this one. There’s a slight science fiction element to it, but really, it’s a coming of age story and it’s fantastic.

“Sometimes pain is so unmanageable that the idea of spending another day with it seems impossible. Other times pain acts as a compass to help you get through the messier tunnels of growing up. But the pain can only help you find happiness if you can remember it.”

Aaron Soto has had a tough few months — his delinquent father committed suicide, and then Aaron tried to slit his own wrists. His mother can barely afford to keep a roof over the heads of Aaron and his brother Eric. But Aaron’s putting his life back together, with the help of his girlfriend Genevieve and his friends. He even makes a new friend, Thomas, who changes a lot of things in Aaron’s life. He even starts to stir up feelings in Aaron that never seemed to exist before.

The science fiction element of the novel (an experimental procedure that helps a person forget certain memories) gets mentioned right at the beginning, then mostly dropped for a while. The first half of the book really just focuses on Aaron, particularly his existing relationship with Genevieve, and a blossoming one with Thomas. Then about halfway through, the author will punch you in the gut.

It’s a good book. It’s very well-written — Aaron feels very real, his troubles really come to life. I really loved his relationship with Thomas, and how it changes over time. The twist elevates it from good to great, but I really didn’t like the ending so I dropped a star for that. Still–quite a good read (Caitlin: I got it as an e-book from the library but that have a hard copy that you should check out — you’d like it).