I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts about this book into words and I’m not sure why.

The story is told from Nala’s POV, so we are seeing everyone and their actions through her filters. I know that skews a lot of the interactions, but it does put a few people in a pretty bad light.

Nala is a typical teen. She loves her family, cares about the world, but doesn’t see why her cousin/best friend, Imani, is so obsessed with her activist group. Nala feels left out and ignored. Then she meets Tye, who is also really involved in the group and suddenly starts lying to impress him.

As the story progresses, Nala digs herself in deeper with the lies, Imani shuts her out more and more, and Tye keeps pushing her on her supposed projects.

I related to Nala, feeling abandoned and left behind by the person she always felt she could count on, and not understanding what it was that she had done to drive Imani away. And every time she tried to talk to Imani, Nala was shut down. I also understood Nala’s reactions to Tye’s “gifts” and understood why they upset her.

To be fair, I do understand Imani’s issues to a point. But if she really cared about Nala (and her family, honestly), she should have said something much earlier, before everything got so bad that a blow up was the only option left. A lot of her behavior was unforgivable in my opinion, but Nala is a bigger person than I am.

The story resolves in a good way, and I think everyone is happy in the end. I know that Nala is. And I think that everyone has also learned a lot, so hopefully the family can continue to heal and grow back together again.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC for review consideration though NetGalley, on behalf of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.