My BFF was desperate to read this book so I had it shipped to her house from Amazon so she could go ahead and get it delivered instead of just talking about it. She read it quickly and then passed it on to me. With a review on the back cover singing its praises by Libba Bray, how could I pass it up? BFF just kept telling me to read it, but left it very vague. I was curious…
This book was beautifully heartbreaking. In it, Jonah and Beatrice meet each other at school, but exist together in a world of their own making. Their world is made up of late night talk radio, prom trips to the beach and parties that neither of them really belong at. It was weird because I really wanted to love both of them. Maybe it’s my age showing and I just can’t handle that much incessant neediness, but it seemed like Jonah completely takes Bea for granted. She has a chance to make friends, have a normal life, but she’s held captive by Jonah for whatever reason. And I guess at one point in my life I was much like Bea – completely infatuated with some selfish boy. But I so badly wanted her to succeed and be happy in her life. And as much as she gives gives gives, Jonah kind of lets her down. Don’t get me wrong, Standiford completely writes Jonah so you feel sorry for him. And Bea even has her moment when she tells him off, explaining how he’s selfish and how she’s been the great friend. Without giving away the end, I was a little disappointed. I wanted more of a reason to love both of them.
Maybe that’s the point. Not everyone gets a perfect ending. Some characters aren’t written to be flawed in an endearing, broken way. Some are just flawed because they are just human. And like humans, these characters can disappoint us. Jonah just reminded me of someone I used to know and I guess that made me a little like Bea. I am still a little on the fence about this one, but it definitely made me feel something.
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