[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Karina’s parents are traveling for a month to Bangladesh to visit family, leaving her and her younger brother with their grandmother. And it’s just the break Karina needs. She never realized the anxiety she carries every day until she mentioned to her parents she might not want to go to medical school. She never even mentioned what she might study instead – English – before they completely freaked out. Their rules are plentiful and strict and not open for discussion.
Karina’s English teacher is her favorite, of course. So when she asks Karina to tutor another student, she agrees in order to not disappoint the woman. But she had no idea the student was Alistair Clyde. Ace is an enigma around school. His family is super rich, and his brother is super popular as well as being president of the student body. Ace on the other hand skips class and seems like a bad boy and a loner. Getting him to actually do any work in their tutoring sessions will take a miracle.
Karina has barely gotten Ace to engage in their study sessions when he announces to his family that they are dating. He doesn’t want anyone to know he needs a tutor. But if Karina’s parents find out she is spending any time with a boy, much less a white boy, they will explode. She will lose even the barest bit of freedom she currently has. She should just say no and make Ace deal with his family honestly. But she’s seen the dynamic with his dad and his brother. And she has a bit of understanding of what it’s like in a complicated family. So Karina agrees to go along with things until her parents get back. But as she counts down the days until their return, her heart doesn’t seem to remember that this is all supposed to be pretend.
Review
This. Was. FANTASTIC! Wow! I didn’t expect to be captivated by this so quickly. But the characters are phenomenal! One minute I wanted to hug all of them, but the next I wanted to just stand back and admire the heart and the strength and the fierceness of them.
The book ran me through the full range of emotions. There were tons of laugh-out-loud moments, but there were also tearful ones. And there was one piece that made me want to stand up and cheer. I am so in awe of this story. The minute I finished, I wanted to pick it up and start all over.
Karina and Ace are magical together. I can’t get enough of them. There are some tough family moments here – hurtful, devastating conversations. But as painful as those moments are – for Karina and for Ace – they also shine a spotlight on the inner strength of these teens. There’s a LOT to discuss here. This would be excellent for a book club or a discussion group.
Do not miss this story! (Language, TW: panic attacks, parental shaming)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++*
*♥♥♥♥♥+++ = Best of the best!