This was a difficult book to rate. There are almost certainly spoilers in my review, so read on at your own risk if you don’t like spoilers The writing is great, a lot of the themes the author covers are difficult and they did a decent job with them. I do wish that the description of the book that refers to the main character as a teenager made it more clear that she is a young teen, thirteen, during major plot points in the story. I went into it expecting that she was an older teen, and the last third or so of the book was really difficult to read knowing it was such a young girl going through these things. I do think that it’s a very romanticized (not romantic, but romanticized) version of a story many children have experienced. It’s not a coming of age story that seems intended for kid readers who are in the midst of their own coming of age, but rather a heart breaking story with a fantastical outcome for adult readers. Everything works out okay in the end, through all the hardships, and it’s just not realistic.
I would caution prospective readers to look at reviews before starting this book, because no matter how good the writing is, the content is disturbing and is not for the faint of heart, especially knowing how different the outcome is for real live children who have been through similar situations. Knowing it doesn’t all come up roses in the end for them and that real damage is done.
Spoiler: I think one of the most damaging parts of the story is related to how Wavy physically does not change between 13 and 21, but then magically begins to age once everything is wrapped up neatly in a bow at the end. I also think it makes Kellen seem more suspect in actually being a pedophile, because he takes note of how immature her body is as an adult, and he mentions that he knew he loved her the first time he saw her, as an 8 year old girl. It’s disturbing to say the least, and I don’t think it helps absolve him or let the reader feel like he was in the relationship truly out of a deep love for her as a person that grew into a romantic love. It lead me to wonder if he really will stick around, given that the author notes that Wavy is growing now, and a comment around how difficult it seems to have been for Kellen having Wavy’s little brother join their newly formed family. It doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in their already difficult future.