Picking up shortly after book one ends, there is an abrupt, and somewhat unexpected shift in the emotional tone of the book pretty quickly. Em and Royal, who were finding themselves with each other, are suddenly estranged. His attitude and treatment of her after the death of her sister, his best friend, is perplexing. Em then finds herself in a strange town, trying to survive with no money and no place to stay. And unexpected job, and unexpected new friend, help her find ways to cope with what she feels is the utter rejection by everyone she thought loved her. There’s a desperation to her in this book, it’s unsettling, which is absolutely the point. Things have been shaken up, and as she is ultimately thrust back into her life at Court High, she is armed with a new attitude and determination to rise above everyone who seemed to toss her aside.
This is very much a book to move the overall story forward. We meet new characters that will become more pivotal, and relationships are tested, challenged, forged, and changed. At the end, we have almost fully upended all the character’s lives, and where we go from here is going to prove very interesting.