Oh, this book was so, so sweet! <3
I think one of my favorite things about this story was how very realistic it felt. The way Lissa's emotions swung and swirled between hope and dread, excitement and confusion felt so spot-on and true to life. I usually have a hard time with books where characters have conflicting or back-and-forth emotions, but in this case, it endeared Lissa to me all the more. Her emotions never felt arbitrary or contrived for the sake of plot or conflict; instead, they felt like the very real struggles of a girl trying to adapt to change and longing but fearing to cling to something true and constant. I haven't had firsthand experience with the foster care system, but I know people who have, and I thought the timelines and other similar details were much more realistically portrayed than in a number of other books. Along with lending an air of realism, the foster care angle really helped to drive quite a bit of Lissa's internal conflict, not just in her past but in her present and future, which I really enjoyed.
Leigh was such a wonderful brother--so protective and loving while still being a regular boy. I would really have loved to get a few more scenes from his perspective, since I was intrigued every time we got a glimpse of his thoughts and attitudes. On the outside, he was much stronger than Lissa, but on the inside, he struggled with a lot of the same doubts and insecurities. Overall, he definitely fascinated me!
And of course the family--they were all so sweet, but not without the inevitable temperament clashes or slightly-overwhelming presence. Again, it felt so realistic, and even though I would probably have fit into this particular home without any trouble, I immediately sympathized with shy, quiet Lissa trying to figure out where she belonged in all the noise and bustle.
The spiritual thread felt very natural and not in any way forced. I actually thought the story was ending about eight chapters before it actually did, but I'm so glad it kept going after what would have been an obvious place to stop. And honestly, it added once again to the realism of the story. But I love the fact that with all the realism, the tone is one of love and hope and belonging. "He places the lonely in families" is one of my favorite Scripture quotes, and I loved seeing it included here. <3
My only real complaint was that the story ended pretty abruptly, and I would have at least liked to see Lissa's reaction to the final conversation. I also had a bit of a hard time keeping Leigh and Lissa in my mind as 14, but I think that may have had more to do with the audiobook narration than the writing. (Not criticising the narration as a whole, which was very good; I just felt like the voices used for the twins made them sound a bit younger than they were meant to be.)
4.5 stars, and one of my favorites from Rebekah Morris so far!
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2016
