It was good. Kinda compared to her other books though. It didn't go into enough detail with some of the stuff that happened especially with Lake when she was in the homeless encampment. I honestly would have liked to see more depth with that aspect of the story. But overall it was good

It has been so long since I've read Ellen Hopkins, but she is still slaying it! Written in her traditional prose, she gives us a heart-wrenching story of twins who are separated by the foster care system.

This is a story full of tragedy (typical for Ellen Hopkins), pain, heartache, and redemption. The story of Storm and Lake follows them through their multiple foster placements and how they eventually find their way to each other again.

As much as it was pretty nostalgic to read Ellen Hopkins again, I definitely was hoping for a little bit more for the ending. Despite it being a bit abrupt, I can't help but walk away from this story mostly satisfied; and in this case, a smile on my face for Storm and Lake.

Twins Lake and Storm are put into the foster system and in the beginning they were able to stay together and everything was working out great. However one thing leads to another and they are eventually seperated. In some cases they do get to keep in touch through their social worker, but eventually lose track of each other mainly because Storm is in juvenile detention a few times.

You do get to see through their eyes what the foster system can be like in both good and bad situations.

Storm and Lake do eventually find love but with devastating consequences, Storm ends up in juvenile detention again after his girlfriend is sexually assaulted. Lake runs away to live on the streets after her foster parent finds her in bed with her girlfriend.

My heart was all over the place reading this. I cried a lot. I love how Ellen Hopkins can pull you into a story and give you all the emotions.

As always, this Ellen Hopkins book rips your heart out and stomps on it over and over again in the best way possible. Showing the two very different lives of twins navigating their way through foster care. Knowing the struggles that Lake and Storm face are not uncommon for those kids that find themselves in the system is eye opening. Would highly recommend to everyone!

First of trigger warning for sa, drug use, and violence. Hopkins does it again she somehow makes the reader care about what is happening to the characters in this book. In sync we follow lake and storm as they go through life in foster care and everything life throws at them. I will say the ending had me wanting more for sure

Ellen Hopkins has always been one of my favorite authors. I love the real life aspects. The very rarely “HEA”. Because sometimes we need to take off the rose colored glasses. And this was another great one. I read it in a day. One. Day. I haven’t done that with a full length novel in a long time. I couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop and also didn’t want it to end.
I felt so many emotions. Such an amazing read.

This story follows a set of twins named Lake and Storm as they process through their foster care lives. Lake and Storm struggle with daily trails as they just try to stay a float amoung the constant chaos that is thrown their way. I highly recommend this book to as long as the read keeps their triggers and mental health in mind. Mental health matters and this story grabs you ahold and yanks you deep into the lives of these characters and their traumas.

The writing is so beautiful and poetic & I am obsessed. Ellen truly knows how to right an “easy read” that touch on dark topics & I couldn’t get enough.
Though, the ending was wonderful… I just never wanted the story to end! I would read a sequel, for sure, if one was able to be written.

Ellen Hopkins has been my favorite author for over ten years now. When I saw she was writing another book I jumped at the chance to read it. I was sucked in from the first line! The pain that Storm and Lake have gone through is heartbreaking.

Storm is a protector and will go to any length to protect those he loves. I fell in love with his character and how strongly he cares for the people in his life.

Lake is a girl determine to prove her mother wrong and achieve her goals. She has had some stumbles and horrible things happen along the way but still pushes through.

This book kept me on edge the entire time and I was devastated when it ended. I wanted to just keep reading and reading. I was so absorbed in Lake and Storm’s life.

Ellen Hopkins’ writing style is inspirational and keeps me coming back for more! Thank you for sharing this book with the world. This book comes out in August and it needs to be on your TBR!!

Dual POVs; deep, heartwrenching, and challenging topics; truly felt for the two main characters and went through a rollercoaster of emotions; was fully hooked and never wanted to put it down; a masterfully written, captivating, impactful, and inspiring story with tragedy, hope, trauma, and redemption; the ending gave me goosebumps; my only gripe is that I wish it were longer- I needed more!

Hands down my new favorite Ellen Hopkins book 🩶
⚠️ check trigger warnings ⚠️

Special thank you to Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group/Nancy Paulson Books and Netgalley for a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed Ellen Hopkins’ books for the majority of my life. This new title, Sync by Ellen Hopkins brought me just as much enjoyment as her prior books have. Sync follows a set of twins named Storm and Lake both age 17 at the beginning of the novel. The siblings alternate as narrator to tell their story of their experience in the foster care system. From beginning to end this book had me hooked. I could not put this book down. The relatable situations that the main characters find themselves in throughout the book added to the ease of reading. I would highly recommend this book as well as all of Ellen Hopkins other books.

A huge thanks to @PenguinTeen #NetGalley and author Ellen Hopkins for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. #SyncEllenHopkins

I picked a perfect month to read this because may is mental health awareness month and Sync explores the many different facets of mental health, the complexities of trauma, and how that impacts decisions and lives. Ellen has a unique way with words and a way of weaving and tying everything together is such a beautiful way with dual POVs and terrific and intricate characters! Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever read something by Ellen and didn’t like it- So in true fashion she has yet again blown me away with another incredibly moving story.

Thank you NetGalley and Ellen🖤

I have been an Ellen Hopkins fan for years so I was excited when I saw that there was a book that I haven't read yet. This was so unbelievably good it's unreal. I felt the pain of the twins and my heart ached for them. Hopkins is so good at pulling the raw emotions out of you and this book is no exception. This may be one of my favorite books by her.

I’ve been a fan of Ellen Hopkins since middle school (circa 2008ish) so I knew this book was gonna make me emotional. That’s what I expect from Ellen’s work and that’s exactly what Sync delivered. Tears. So many tears.

Lake and Storm are twins who have been in the foster care system for years. In the beginning they were placed together, which was ideal, but something happened and they were separated. While they had their share of homes, both good and bad, at the beginning of the book it seems like things are in at least a decent place for both of them (Lake is a semi-closeted queer person who was placed in an uber conservative home which was… interesting).

There are so many things that I could talk about for this book. Like the way that Hopkins depicts the harsh realities that some foster youth experience like juvenile detention, homelessness, addiction, etc. but one scene really stuck out in my brain. Mostly because it’s so relatable.

At one point Storm is talking to I think his caseworker and describes a memory that he thinks is just some silly, fun little memory from life before care. Yeah turns out it was abuse which I think resonated with me because there are so many memories I have that I thought were funny until I told another person and they just looked at me like I had lost my mind. That reality check is too relatable.

Anyways. Ellen Hopkins continues to be the goat. Thanks for making me cry. Can I send my therapy bill to your PO Box or something? That’s mostly a joke but 😭😭

CWs: SA, suicide, drug abuse, physical violence, child abuse, discussions of childhood sexual abuse, homophobia

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for access to this Digital ARC. Ellen Hopkins does it again! These titles are always a glimpse into a hard reality different from many of our lived experiences. Well done, worth the read! I stayed up all night to finished this one, once I started I couldn’t stop! Complex issues for young adults but so necessary! Lovable characters, fast paced and dynamic!

This was a heart wrenching but inspiring story about twins separated by the system and dealing with their own struggles and challenges, while still having a strong connection wish each other no matter what. It shows that you can always find your way through the light and out of the darkness

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

God, is there ANYTHING Ellen Hopkins writes that’s not a completely amazing, beautiful, devastating masterpiece? The answer to that question would be no. I don’t think it is possible for her to write anything that’s less than perfect.
I’ve been a huge fan of Ellen Hopkins since middle school, and I get sooo excited when new books come out by her.
This book was so REAL. Raw. Heartbreaking. You truly get into it and feel for the characters (Lake and Storm) and the things that they endure.
The ONLY negative is how quick the ending was. I was hoping for it to be a bit… more? I don’t know how to word that. But it felt a bit quick, rushed if you will.
Despite that, 10/10, 100/100. Whatever out of whatever because this book is amazing.

Telling hard stories in a verse format is a great way to focus on the emotions in the story, and Ellen Hopkins has done that with Sync, a story with abuse, belonging, sibling connections, love, revenge, anger, dreams, and possibilities as its main themes.

In Sync, the main characters, twins Lake and Storm, grew up in an abusive and neglectful household before entering the foster system. Being twins, they seem to have that special connection twins often have, with a feeling of being in sync (this is touched upon a couple of times, but I wish it was woven in more deeply throughout). However, it's not long before the twins are separated into different foster homes and, in alternating POV storytelling, we learn these foster homes are depressing, oppressing, and suppressing. It's four long years before Lake and Storm reunite briefly, each struggling in their own way with pressures at school, in relationships, and in life in general. As the twins grow older, their early years seem to set the course for their dim futures: Lake ends up running away from an ultra-religious foster home with her girlfriend and discovers living on the street is scary and life-threatening (a sexual assault occurs, but unfortunately we don't see it's true aftermath in Lake's life), while Storm's anger boils over and finally lands him in Juvie (his girlfriend is raped and he finds revenge through his fists). Along the way, they must dig deep to discover who they want to become and how to break free from their pasts, all while trying to find their way back to each other. In the end, fate intervenes (perhaps a bit coincidentally), and hope becomes the thread that keeps them in sync.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As always, Ellen Hopkins did it again. This story is real and raw, pulling you in from the start. Lake and Storm are ordinary kids dealing with extraordinary circumstances.

I had a few comments about the book’s composition as a whole:
The ending was rushed. With 10 pages left, I wondered how the story would wrap up. I was hoping we’d get a final scene with them coming together, but I also just felt like things fell into place too soon almost
Rape felt like a plot device in a lot of ways. Jaidyn’s made sense contextually for the whole story, but Lake’s felt glossed over after everything. No therapy? No outbursts? It felt like a one time deal.

Otherwise, this story was strong and impactful. I loved Storm’s story more than anything. I do wonder what happens to Parker, Teddy, and Jim. But I guess that’s the mark of a good story - always wondering about the lives of fictional characters.

Wow! Actually this book deserves two wows!

I saw the summary and requested this book. Once downloaded I realized it was told in verse, which is not my style. But I am so happy I did request it! I am now an Ellen Hopkins convert!

This is the story of twins - Storm and Lake. They were separated and this tells the story of each one via letters.

This was so hard to read at times. I wanted to hug them both.. .I was 100% sucked in and felt like these were real people and I so wanted to help. This was extra painful to read, knowing that although this was fiction, this was realistic and is probably someones story. This book will stay with me for a while.

I cried. This book was heartbreaking, yet I loved it..

5 stars without a doubt..

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. I am so happy I "accidentally" downloaded it..