Latest Read: Me Since You by Laura Weiss

Here are the basics ...
Me Since You by Laura Wiess
Publication date: Feb. 18, 2014
Publisher: MTV Books
Category: Young Adult - Contemporary
Source: From publisher via Edelweiss (Thanks!)

Summary: Before: Rowan Areno was a normal sixteen-year-old, sheltered by her police officer father and her mother. After: everything she once believed has been destroyed in the wake of a shattering tragedy, and every day is there to be survived. If she had known, when she cut school, that a random stranger’s shocking crime would have traumatic consequences, she never would have left campus. If the crime video never went viral, maybe she could have saved her mother and herself from the endless replay of heartache and grief. Finding a soul mate in Eli, a witness to the crime who is haunted by losses of his own, Rowan begins to see there is no simpe, straightforward path to healing wounded hearts. Can she learn to trust, hope, and believe in happiness again? (Adapted goodreads.com)

My thoughts…

The good: Me Since You is about the ripple effect a single action can have and the different ways in which tragedy can affect a person and how those emotions touch your loved ones' lives as well. This may be Rowan’s story but we see a broad spectrum of the ways people deal with their grief. Sixteen-year-old Rowan is a regular teenager. She has a best friend (who I hated), wants a cute guy to notice her and finds small ways in which to rebel against her loving but strict mother and father, who happens to be a cop. Here's her ripple - Rowan skips school with her best friend Nadia to meet two guys, they all ditch her, she gets caught and sent home to deal with her parents, her dad gets a call for an emergency right near their home, then he and another bystander (a boy named Eli who goes to school with Rowan) witness something tragic. (Whew.) Basically after this single day, all hell breaks loose. But none is more affected than Rowan's father.

Rowan goes from typical high school student to carrying the weight of a million burdens on her shoulders practically overnight and we get a close look throughout the entire book of her relationship with her parents. Her frustration, her love for them. It's a rollercoaster of emotions being so young and watching your parents fall apart. How do you help? Can you even help? The author's portrayal of her uncertainty and fears was depicted so well. And I've realized any book that deals with watching a parent suffer will always affect me, which is why Me Since You got to me even when other parts were less than perfect.

(Some) reservations: First and foremost - Nadia (the best friend). She infuriated me but that's technically not a reservation because there are people like her. It just always makes me a little sad (and angry) to see it. I'm all for depictions of strong, positive female friendships and I didn't see how Nadia's awful actions contributed to the overall story. The other part I had reservations on was the romance. I liked Eli and the connection he and Rowan formed but something felt off to me. It almost seemed like too much with everything else going on.

Do I recommend?: It's an emotional, heavy book and you should know that before you start and honestly, I don't know if it's for everyone. But I thought there was some really interesting commentary on how people, even strangers, can feel like they know the ins and outs of a situation when they really have no idea. So I do recommend.

Happy reading!