Thank you to #Net Galley and #A Million Things.

What an emotional roller coaster. I usually do not enjoy books with children as narrators but this book was an exception. What a brave, capable, empathetic, resilient character we have in 10 year old Rae. You will be rooting for her and her dog Splinter throughout the story. I so not want to give anything away since I would like you read this book and have it unfold for you naturally. I'll just say that it is a book of unconscionable grief, empathy ,friendship, love, and resilience. The on-going dialog in Rae's head is so heart-wrenching yet natural. Her developing friendship with the curmudgeonly older next door neighbor works beautifully and believably only because of the character of Rae. I hope to see more for Emily Spurr and will gladly read whatever she writes.

This book ticked all the boxes for me and I didn't expect it to be so great considering it was from a 9 year old's point of view but that made it all the better. This unique perspective provides this story with a fresh curiosity right from the start. Spurr introduces the reader to a lot of inner dialogue, then slowly branches out, peeling away the layers of the background. This style mirrors the book's setting, another amazing literary device, and once the stakes are introduced, any reader will have a hard time putting the book down.

A new empathy sprouted inside of me from reading this piece, and I will never look at mental health issues, and they way it effects our loved ones, the same way again. I thought the story played out realistically, and while the plot line ended up being more about the emotional and psychological ramifications, I still clung to every sensory detail.

I recommend this book for anybody who is looking to read a heartwarming story about a young girl, and her older friend, who are determined to make everything as normal as possible in a not-so-normal world. An incredible story of the triumph of the human spirit in the worst of circumstances. All. The. Stars.

I couldn't get interested in some of the descriptions. I wasn't hooked by character or dialogue. I loved cover and summary.