In the wake of sudden tragedy, twin sisters uncover a secret that rips open their world. Katherine Rothschild explores the pain and power of forgiveness in a stunning debut novel that will shatter your heart and piece it back together, one truth at a time. Sixteen-year-old Sabine Braxton doesn’t have much in common with her identical twin, Blythe. When their father dies from an unexpected … unexpected illness, each copes with the loss in her own way—Sabine by “poeting” (an uncontrollable quirk of bursting into poetry at inappropriate moments) and Blythe by obsessing over getting into MIT, their father’s alma mater. Neither can offer each other much support . . . at least not until their emotionally detached mother moves them into a ramshackle Bay Area mansion owned by a stranger named Charlie.
Soon, the sisters unite in a mission to figure out who Charlie is and why he seems to know everything about them. They make a life-changing discovery:their parents were hiding secrets about their sexual identities. The revelation unravels Sabine’s world, while practical Blythe seems to take everything in stride. Once again at odds with her sister, Sabine chooses to learn all she can about the father she never knew. Ultimately, she must decide if she can embrace his last wish for a family legacy–even if it means accepting a new idea of what it means to be a family.
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Thank you to Netgalley and Soho Press for the advanced reader’s copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Polyamory, HIV and discussions about safe sex with a positive partner, wrapped up in an emotional storyline.
This had a lot of things I really liked, but just didn’t catch me how I’d hoped.
Sabine has dealt with the unexpected loss of her father, a move to a new town, and things seem to be going downhill from there. She’s made a cool friend and found a new crush, only to realize he’s her new BFF’s crush too. The man her mother has moved them in with is suspicious to her, and Sabine is determined to find out who he really is. She’s also dealing with “poeting”, when she’s anxious she spouts off lines of poetry compulsively. The town doesn’t want to put through the permit on their house, and Sabine doesn’t blame them – she’s convinced if she can sabotage her mother & Charlie’s efforts, she won’t need to live there anymore.
This reminded me a little of Hot Dog Girl, in that Sabine takes questionable action to try to get something done herself, and she doesn’t seem to get many consequences. She’s obviously confused and scared, and I can see why, but she doesn’t treat the people around her (family, friends) very nicely at all.
I loved the diverse characters, and I’d definitely read more from this author in the future.
3 1/2 stars
I have to say at first this story annoyed the everlasting Dickens out of me thankfully that didn’t last, however, I did find it a bit slow going in the beginning. This is quite a unique story in a way and very enjoyable.
Twins, Sabine and Blythe, move with their mother to a completely new town that is totally different from where they’d lived prior. Things weren’t adding up for them and I have to admit I was pleased when the girls investigated as it drove me nuts not knowing too.
Like all good stories there is a big problem and finding a solution seems impossible. This young adult romance is a tad different in that it has a triangle factor, which causes concerns, of course. There are quite a few issues explored within the pages and handled well. There are life lessons to be learned and good ones too, which when revealed, are as clear as a fine sunny day. The main reason for the extra half a star.
I found the build-up of each character was executed well and as you got to know them better you understood why they reacted or acted in the way they did. I also found it refreshing to hear characters being honest about the people they loved and their disappointment in the things they might have done, very real lifelike.
A good story I recommend without hesitation.
Reviewer: Robyn
3 1/2 stars
I have to say at first this story annoyed the everlasting Dickens out of me thankfully that didn’t last, however, I a did find it a bit slow going in the beginning. This is quite a unique story in a way and very enjoyable.
Twins, Sabine and Blythe, move with their mother to a completely new town that is totally different to where they’d lived prior. Things weren’t adding up for them and I have to admit I was pleased when the girls investigated as it drove me nuts not knowing too.
Like all good stories there is a big problem and finding a solution seems impossible. This young adult romance is a tad different in that it has a triangle factor, which causes concerns, of course. There are quite a few issues explored within the pages and handled well. There are life lessons to be learnt and good ones too, which when revealed, are as clear as a fine sunny day. The main reason for the extra half a star.
I found the build up of each character was executed well and as you got to know them better you understood why they reacted or acted in the way they did. I also found it refreshing to hear characters being honest about the people they loved and their disappointment in the things they might have done, very real life like.
A good story I recommend without hesitation.