When Rev gets a letter from his abusive father, it turns his world upside down. While he tries to keep everything from falling apart, he runs into Emma who has her own share of problems.

I love this book! I LOVE REV! I love his parents! I love Declan! I love Matthew! Unfortunately, I don’t really love Emma. I think she’s very self-absorbed and naive, which is an interesting contrast to Rev who is very self-aware and knowledgeable of the horrors of the world. I think we all can understand an angsty teen who’s self-sabotaging and angry at the world for somewhat petty reasons, but every time I read this book, I wish Emma was a little bit different. It also probably doesn’t help that I’m not really into gaming, but I try to understand.

Now… Rev. He’s great. I’ll say it again—I love him. His inner turmoil over the letter his father wrote him and wanting to tell people but not feeling like he can was so beautifully written. It showed the power his father still had over him after not seeing him for 10-ish years and how the little things so easily get out of hand. I love Rev’s relationship with his foster parents. Their love and understanding of him was amazing. That one scene with Rev’s dad—yeah, that one—I probably cried the first time I read it. Perfection. “We all push sometimes, just to make sure someone is on the other side, pushing back.”

I also love Rev’s relationship with Declan. It was great in Letters to the Lost and it’s still great in this book. The fact that Declan wasn’t even mad when Rev punched him in the face…wow. Friendship goals. I think I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I want to be best friends with Rev, Declan, and Juliet. I also grew very fond of Matthew while reading this book. I’m very disappointed that there isn’t a book about him, and I would like to start a petition for Brigid Kemmerer to write his book. I just looked it up to be sure—apparently there’s a short story/bonus scene about Matthew… still not enough. I need more.

So, the moral of the story is that I love this book. It is not a 5 star romance book, but it is a 5 star piece of literature that I will be rereading for the rest of my life. Maybe you should give it a go.