Beautifully written coming of age story about love , loss, grief and forgiveness. Otis is a charming boy dealing with a lot of emotions after the sudden loss of his baby brother three years ago and the sudden reemergence of his ex girlfriend. The story is sensitively written and you can feel that the author has obviously had to deal with the grief of having to live after someone you love has been lost. The dialogue is crisp and realistic, the friendship between him and his best friend is brilliant and honest. Hands down it was a fabulous book and one I would definitely recommend. As a Mom I really struggled with the storyline as it deals with the death of a small child and the one scene had be chocking down sobs. Other than that a solid debut novel

Favourite quote

When she got this way , my dd would say to me quietly , "The smart money's on shut up and do it."

“Here’s the truth about healing. It’s a fucking myth—an idea they try to sell you on to keep you from killing yourself. You love someone and they leave, but they never entirely go away. You feel them there, acutely, like an amputated limb.”