I truly believe that Stephanie Kuehn is a literary genius. Not only is her writing exceptional but her method of storytelling has the power to create a physical response, one that is often filled with tension and a little bit of anxiety. Additionally, the way she develops her characters is extraordinary. They are often multi-layered and complex and such perfect examples of how flawed we as human beings are. She achieves this with such a graceful grittiness that it often leads to characters that are equal parts compelling and memorable (I mean I'm still thinking about Win from "Charm & Strange" 4 years later and I have a feeling the same will be true of Ben).

Prior to reading this, "Charm & Strange" held supreme in terms of my favorite, but I have to admit that this one is an extremely close second. I liked Ben, I really did, even when he was unlikable. I think the reason why Ben is so interesting to me is because of the complex history that Kuehn gave him. Additionally, I found his relationship with Rose fascinating, mainly because we never really get to truly know Rose and I think Ben may have felt the same way. While in other instances this may have been a deterrent to continue reading, I loved that Rose remained swathed in mystery until the very end because it worked so well in the context of the story and Ben himself.

In terms of recommending this to teen readers, I think the complexity of the characters and storytelling is a perfect match for older teens looking for a quality mystery/thriller. I certainly think it is a necessary purchase for all YA collections and Kuehn fans or those new to her writing have much to look forward to!