Horn Book Review
An intimate story about coping with loss, Nelson's first novel is tender, romantic, and loaded with passion. Perfectly content to shadow her high-wattage older sister throughout her seventeen years, clarinet player and secret poet Lennie is utterly devastated when Bailey dies suddenly. The pain is unbearable and hits continually: "My sister dies over and over again, all day long." Her profound loss awakens unexpected new feelings in Lennie; everything becomes more raw and intense, including inexplicable sexual desires. Most confusing is a fierce mutual attraction to Bailey's boyfriend, Toby. No one besides Toby "gets" how Lennie feels -- not even Gram or Lennie's best friend Sarah -- but their moments of frantic groping in search of some comfort leave Lennie feeling guilty and ashamed. Into her darkest hour appears bright, beautiful new boy Joe Fontaine, a brilliant musician with a contagious grin "the size of the continental United States." Showing up daily with breakfast and helping her regain her confidence in the clarinet, Joe might just be "the one" -- that is, if the thing with Toby doesn't wreck everything. The story is set in a dreamy, hippie northern California town, where Lennie's Gram is the local "garden guru" and Lennie's giant, pot-smoking uncle Big is the resident swain. In the wake of tremendous loss, Lennie embraces her own life at last, free to pursue her dreams. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Lennie, 17, has always been content with her role as the girl in the background, playing sidekick to her dramatic older sister, Bailey. After Bailey's sudden death, Lennie finds herself receiving a lot of attention from her peers and her family. Not one but two boys are interested in her: Toby, Bailey's boyfriend, and Joe, an artistic newcomer from France. Lennie loves them both for different reasons, but she almost destroys her relationship with Joe when he catches her kissing Toby. Romantics need not despair, for Joe is also the one who encourages her to rediscover her love of playing the clarinet, an activity that starts her on her path to becoming more independent. Lennie's losses are both heartfelt and appropriately literary and artsy, but her feelings and self-discovery often get buried in the many plotlines. Tied in with Bailey's death are the loss of Lennie's mother, her obsession with Wuthering Heights and her uncle's role as the town Casanova. This well-intentioned story about love and loss too often gets tangled in its own emo. (Fiction. YA) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
