This book was written in 2 POV.
They are twins, one is Storm and the other is Lake.
They are put into foster care, then separated, little to no contact while they grow up.

One goes to jail. Trouble seems to find him.
There’s rape, suicide and drug use

One is on the streets after being found with her room mate who’s a girl. They get into dealing meth, using it and the roommate has disappeared.

It’s heartbreaking and a page Turner.

Always been a sucker for Ellen Hopkins teens in crisis books told in free verse, so I enjoyed reading this and really, whether you’re a longtime fan or a relative newbie to Hopkins, you’ll enjoy it as well. Already curious as to whether there’ll be sequels because the story doesn’t feel over yet.

Content Warnings: child abuse & neglect, violence, sexual assault, drug use, suicide, harm to an animal

Twins Lake and Storm are used to only having each other to rely on. Growing up in an abusive and neglectful home, they treasure their special twin sync. After going through a couple foster placements, they are separated, going years without seeing each other. Told in alternating POV, this book follows the twins as they turn seventeen. Storm is facing the consequences of his anger, after retaliating against the boy who assaulted his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Lake and fellow foster Parker enjoy sneaking around their highly religious foster family- until they are caught and flee to live on the streets. Both twins reflect on their lives and how they ended up where they are, while wondering where their twin is and if they will ever reunite.

Somehow I have made it this far in life without reading any Ellen Hopkins. After this, I’m not sure I will seek any more. It’s not that it’s a bad book by any means, but I just don’t think it’s my cup of tea. While books in verse generally aren’t my favorite, there is generally a flow to them, words often dancing across the page. This just felt like small blocks of text.

Now, onto the content: I understand that Hopkins is known for tackling dark, gritty, taboo topics. Kudos to her for that. But holy crap, I have never read a book with so many traumatic events packed in. It was difficult to get through and after finishing, I was emotionally exhausted and battered. Yes, this life is a reality for many and it’s important to show these perspectives. But this just seemed like too much, and I felt like certain events weren’t fully explored, but just plot points to further the twins’ trauma. I was in the last 30ish pages when another traumatic event happened, and I truly stopped, unsure if I could even finish. (shout out to my mom for reading the end and telling me it was safe to finish)

Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone without giving numerous content warnings. And even then, I don’t know that I would recommend it. If you’re a fan of Ellen Hopkins and you understand what you’re getting into, go for it! If you stumble across the book and want to give it a try, proceed with caution.

Oh how I have missed Ellen Hopkins. I have read all of her other books and Sync did not disappoint me. I was immediately pulled into the story by Storm and Lake. I was rooting for both of them to find stability and happiness and broken hearted when the opposite happened.

I love Hopkins’ writing style. Being in verse form seems to pull me in for some reason and then I devour it.


Storm and Lake are brother and sister and have been dealt a horrible hand. Unfit mother and grandmother. Absent father. Bounced around from foster home to foster home. They were always in Sync as children but as they grew older and were separated they both have gone down different paths of trouble.


Just a wonderful unputdownable book!!

What a powerful story wrapped in a simple 4-letter title. Sync begins with a promise of protection. At the age of three, Storm took on the job as big brother to keep twin sister Lake safe. It is the eve of their 17th birthday and neither knows where the other is. Sadly, they were separated in the foster care system. But there is hope their thoughts are synchronized.

Told in dual perspectives through unsent letters, the teenage twins fight their way through the foster care system back to each other in perfect sync. This novel will make readers think about different paths taken, who to trust and the blessings/flaws of the foster care system. Bookhearts, the content is heavy heavy. Whew—it can be a lot!

Sync is told in Ellen Hopkins' signature novel-in-verse style. It doesn't feel like almost 500 pages because the heartbreaking story holds on tight until the captivating climax and emotional ending. I just wish the title came into play a bit more allowing the twins to directly interact. Or maybe that was intentional...hmmm! 🤔 No one writes YA tackling triggering themes like Hopkins.

Happy Early Pub Day, Ellen Hopkins! Sync will be available on August 27.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

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!