I really struggled with this one. I came close to putting it aside and marking it as “did not finish” several times, but I believe that I need to finish any ARCs I receive for review (even if I am years late completing them).

The first half of the book was incredibly slow and there was both nothing happening and too many plot lines happening in Otter’s life. After the halfway point, things started to improve and move at a better pace. And I actually enjoyed the ending, which bumped the rating from 2 to 3 stars.

The book is told third person, predominantly from Otter aka Mike’s POV, but there are a couple of chapters here and there told from his best friend Lika’s POV. They add an extra layer of understanding, but altered the rhythm a bit.

The main plot point, which everything else hinges on, did not make sense to me and I took an almost instant dislike to Otter’s mom based on her choices. I understand her not wanting Otter to go into foster care when she died, but why push for this 15 year old to be emancipated, knowing he didn’t have the finances to survive, when there were other options? Lika’s family would have been happy to take him in.

Don’t get me started on the social worker, a more unlikeable character I have never met. There are other unlikeable characters as well of course, but none worse than she is. She is definitely in the wrong field of work.

Otter makes a ton of mistakes; he’s 15 and grieving, so that is only to be expected. And he breaks two of the promises he made to his mother right off the bat, which only exacerbates all of his problems. At the heart of the matter though, he’s a good kid with no clue what he’s doing.

Something that I liked about the book- the community that rallies around Otter, including his friends, Lika’s family, his neighbors and his cousins. I also enjoyed the bit of magic involved in the box of items Otter received from his grandfather.

While this book didn’t work as well for me, you may enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.