The story is captivating and touches on important historical/regional issues which are still highly relevant today. The main character starts out as quite immature, but she grew on me very quickly and I was always on her side. The writing style isn't one that I would typically gravitate toward to, which is why it's only a 4-stars for me - I suspect a more seasoned reader of the genre would rate it more highly. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those hailing from a small town.