Me Since You by Laura Wiess

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Publication date: 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 342
My rating: 4 stars
Ages: 16+

Rowan's life changes forever the day she skips school. One man's action ripples outward, changing her, her cop father, her librarian mother, and a boy she's never seen before, in ways they could never have imagined. Everyone in town knows, and everyone in town has their own opinion, so how can Rowan find the peace she needs to keep on going?

This is a deeply moving book about family, grief, depression, and suicide. It's the kind of book that stays with you for a little while after you finish reading it, leaving you feeling a little morose.

The book is kind of split into two different sections, with the second half of the book being almost completely about Rowan dealing with her and her mother's grief. Truthfully, the second half is hard to read. It felt long, not because of the writing, but because it felt real. Grief is long. It takes time. And sometimes--a lot of the time--you fall apart. And things affect you in ways you didn't realize, even when you think you're getting better.

Because of this, as well as language, teen partying/drinking/smoking, I would recommend parents read it and discuss it with their teenagers.

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