"We all keep boxes of emptiness in the depths of our closets."

I received an uncorrected electronic proof of this book from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own and do not reflect the opinions of NetGalley or the publisher. Thank you to both organizations for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in a couple of quick settings. It's a fast read and although the plot moves slowly, nothing feels bogged down or overly drawn out. The poetry in this book reads like a stream of consciousness and tackles heavy topics in a way that feels authentic. The poetry invites the reader in and while reading this book, I couldn't help but think about my own grief. I'm now a decade removed from high school and from having to decide my future, but in some ways, I still struggle with the same issues as both Ariana and Row. Now that I'm out of school and college and graduate school, I'm having to decide which parts of my identity to keep and which to grow and which to scrap. This is a process we are always undertaking and the risk to stagnate comes in different ways, like both sisters in this novel, is real.

I have children in my classroom who have experienced immense grief. I know I have a couple who blame themselves for their losses. I want to give this book to them now. I will definitely be purchasing this for my classroom.

3.75 stars

This is a moving verse novel written from the perspectives of two sisters, both of whom are dealing with the aftermath of their mother's death, father's remarriage, and another source of more recent familial loss.

I wish I had gotten to know the characters a bit better, but I did enjoy learning about their relationship, their independent processing of their mother's death, and their evolving sense that there could be some kind of healing on the horizon. The final scene did a lot for me in ramping up the overall quality of the work. I love the symbolism, find it totally appropriate for the audience, and think this is a great representation of how grief comes in many forms.

Overall, this is a pain-filled but hopeful work -

Two high-school/college-age sisters negotiate their grief for their mother and their stepmother's miscarriage, in free verse. I'm sure some readers will feel sympathy for the narrators, but they remained too generic for me to invest in them or their emotions very much, and the ending is horribly trite. I do think the verse form is aa good one for the story being told. The production values are low: the font for the narrators' names and page numbers is dated and unneeded, as are the faux-stains on the corners of the pages.

As a teacher I'm always looking for good books told in verse and this is one I will recommend to my students. Grief, loss and love are all present themes and it was a quick read. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.