In this tender novel-in-verse, Laura feels she let her parents down when they wound up in rehab, and she’s sent to live with her aunt. Laura finds out it’s not easy to belong somewhere, to switch lives and live in a new place. When Laura finds an abandoned dog,she and her aunt take it in. When Laura finds out therapy dogs can visit the rehab place where her parents are she starts working on training Sparrow. Laura makes a new friend Benson but feels he may just be a temporary friend because she will leave when her parents come home. When she is supposed to have a phone chat with her parents, she is told they checked out of rehab. What happens now? Do Laura’s parents come for her? Do they disappear?

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

From what I was able to read, this was an enjoyable and sweet story. However, about 30% in and the rest of the epub disappeared and then skipped to the end credits? My review is based on what I was able to read.

This novel-in-verse is a delight. All players in the story are memorable, even those without much to say (namely the protagonist's parents). Furthermore, the characters' array of racial and gender identities, as well as the realistic representation of disabilities, will facilitate open-mindedness among young audiences. It's also rather touching that Sparrow therapy dog is a pit bull - they need healthy media representation too!

This was a beautiful afternoon read.

My favorite character was Benson - this book is a great way to introduce kids to the concept of someone being chronically ill, and how someone might NOT want to be treated. Benson's former friends abandoned him, but through the book you learn that maybe someone can change their behavior. This plot line isn't resolved, but is left hopeful.

There are queer characters involved, but they are not the focal point - a therapist's pronouns are they/them, and Laura's mother is bi (she has dated boys and girls), and you see the impact this has on the family. Though I wish plot points like this were more delved into, this is a novel in verse and middle grade. The theme of the novel is that people can sometimes change, such as Laura's grandparents, or her parents towards the end of the novel. You do not see the work that goes into changing, but rather how someone changing or not changing can affect the people around them. A powerful novel on what drug use and family dynamics can do to a child.

Hello my name is.... I identify as he/him, she/her kind of book.
With a dash of my mom used to like girls, but now she likes boys.
Wrapped in 'a little girl and her puppy' cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to preview this book.