Published: May 2015 by Viking Juvenile
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4 Stars
Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and - lately - concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?
Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.
Sydney is a normal teenager with a normal life until one day her brother, Peyton, makes a tragic mistake. He drives drunk and hits a young boy who was riding his bicycle home after staying up late playing video games at a friend's house. Peyton goes to jail and the family starts to crumble. Sydney's mom tries to hold everything together with a thread so thin you can't even see, all the while Sydney can't stop thinking about David, the young boy who will now be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
With all the court costs and attorney fees, Sydney notices when the second car is sold and when other household luxuries are cut down. At her school (a private/very costly one), she is now known as the girl whose brother almost killed a boy drunk driving. In an attempt to escape her surroundings as well as help with finances, Sydney transfers to the local public school. Of course its awkward at first, but that's a given. After school one day, she spontaneously walks into a pizzeria that she assumed would be the local teen hangout spot, only to find it empty. Cue cute boy entrance.... Mac Chatham, the pizzeria owner's son, walks in, puts an apron on, and asks Sydney for her order.
Sydney quickly befriends Mac's sister, Layla, whom she can tell everything to. They hang out and study at her dad's pizzeria almost every weekday while Mac takes orders and makes deliveries. While we're talking about Mac... he's in a band, is very smart, and well... he's what every teenage girl wants in a boy. Sydney starts hanging out with the whole gang... the band, Layla, Mac, and even their friends. She starts to feel vaguely normal again. Then her brother's calls from jail dislodge her new life. Her parents either ignore her or treat her like she's been bad in the past like her brother, even though she never has.
Sydney finds herself at a standstill several times with the Chathams. She has to keep secrets from Mac, she has to keep secrets for Layla... but there is a special sort of connection between Sydney and Mrs. Chatham. She has MS and is totally awesome and down to Earth. And yes... I just said totally awesome. But Sydney's thoughts are never far from Peyton or the boy he accidentally hurt, David. These thoughts cause extreme turmoil within Sydney and throughout the book, we struggle right along with her.
This was my first Dessen novel and it won't be my last. I loved the detailed personalities each character had, which just brought the book to life for me. I also enjoyed the subject matter. I was worried it would just be another YA romance, but it was much more. I am an adamant Jodi Picoult fan and this book was very much like a YA version of a Picoult book... which is a definite compliment.
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