There are two things you should know about this book before I get more in depth about it. First, the summary on the back of my ARC for this book (posted above) is somewhat deceptive. It makes it seem as though the entire book is told from Echo's point of view, when in reality, the story alternates between Echo's and Noah's perspectives. Second, the first time I read this book, I thought it was good but not necessarily remarkable. After rereading it in preparation of this review, I can safely say that this is one of my favorite YA books of 2012, if not ever.
The beginning of the book is the shallowest part of the entire story. In this portion we're introduced to Echo, who's really kind of whiny, and Noah, who only seems to care about, ah, certain parts of a girl's body. At first it seems like they're going to perfectly match the stereotypes that they seem to fit: the ex-popular girl and the (hot) loner guy. Instead, these stereotypes seem to be established so that McGarry can then blow them away by showing Echo's and Noah's true feelings, which are so unlike the stereotypes that it's really pretty surprising. Suddenly we're introduced to a terrified girl with a traumatic family history and a desire to honor her dead brother's memory, and a stunningly emotional guy who isn't actually as big of a druggie as most people think and who will do anything it takes to get his brothers, who were taken from him two years ago, back into his life. The only thing that doesn't differ from the stereotype is Noah's physical appearance.
While it seems that the stereotypes will drive the story - and, I admit, that's how I drifted the story the first time (I say drifted because I didn't have a very good understanding of the book then) - it's really these much more personal characters who develop their individual yet intertwined plots. Even without the romance, this would be a wonderful book of loss, determination, and dreams. When you add in the romance between Echo and Noah... well, there's really nothing that can describe it, other than that it becomes such a beautiful portrait of so many things that people have felt all over the world.
Speaking of that romance, Echo's and Noah's relationship is so unlike anything else I've read but so absolutely beautiful. Both characters try to seem strong throughout the novel, but when they're together the readers can see their vulnerable sides, and it becomes clear that they're just like the rest of us. They hurt, too, and they're not indestructible. Plus, after knowing Noah's history, which I won't give away, it was so nice to see how much he really respects Echo and wants to help her in whatever way possible.
That's not to say there aren't issues in this story. There are. I still can't get over Noah's thoughts about Echo in the first chapter, and I'm sure that this one part will haunt me whenever I read the book. Additionally, when Echo begins regaining memories of what happened to her that night her life changed, some of the memories seem a little too pasted in there, without too much of a smooth transition. (Anyone who's tried to do this, though, will understand why it's not perfect. I speak from personal experience.) Those, however, are the only real issues I had with the entire story.
This is the type of book that you might have to try a few times, but once you do, you get a whole new perspective on the lives of people who suffer through so many difficulties. Now that I've made it through that first, awkward reading, I know that every time I read the book from here till whenever, it's always going to be one of my favorites.
I don't give many 5-star reviews, and unfortunately, because of my challenges with the first reading and the lingering issues, this isn't going to get five stars. But it's easily a 4.5 star book that comes with a very strong recommendation.
And, of course, I can't finish without discussing the covers!
UK; American
UK, I love you, I really do. But boy, am I glad that the USA got the right-hand cover rather than the left. You can't tell in the image, but the American writing is in silver (and it's pretty!). The title organization feels sleek, as does the rest of the cover. The UK cover, on the other hand, seems a bit too rough for the book. It's hard to explain in words, exactly, but that's the best I can come up with. Suffice it to say that I much prefer the American cover for this one.
I've also made a trailer for this book. Should you want to watch it (it's only a minute long), you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGq9I_Ztpuw&feature=plcp
Thanks, and I hope you like this book as much as I did!
~Sky
