This book was amazing. I alternately laughed and cried, melted with happiness and burned with anger as I read. The book is full of hope and anticipation, trapped at times in fear and outrage. It was a roller coaster, but definitely worth the ride. I’m not sure that I can write this review without spoilers, but I’ll try.

The relationship Zelda has with her brother Will is amazing. Every time she struggled, her first thought was that she needed Will (or his boyfriend Jonas). That speaks of so much love and trust, even if she did keep things from him at first.

The friendships she creates with the Gildas and the Boy Scouts were also incredible. Having other strong females to support her, as well as guys who did not exude toxic masculinity with every breath kept the hope alive throughout the story, even when things were at their worst.

While Ben is 100% the villain in this piece, I also think the Pauls were villains too. While they did not personally commit any of the harassment or abuse, they fostered an environment that allowed it to become the norm. And even when they knew what was happening, they punished Zelda to attempt to protect themselves. I would have liked to see them receive more of a comeuppance for their actions than they did.

I’m glad that Zelda was left with hope and a possibility of love in a healthy relationship with Jessie (her Boy Scout). Glad, too, that while she will carry emotional scars from what Ben did and tried to do, she has shown strong enough to overcome them. And has the support of people who care about her to help her do it.

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