College student Rachel is hired to work as the "carer" (must be how they say "caregiver" in Australia) for Grace, a young woman brain-damaged in an accident. Mr. Preston, the man who hired Rachel seems to have had some sort of romantic relationship with Grace but Rachel isn't sure of the connection. Grace cannot speak and is unresponsive so when Rachel finds her "spooky box" of letters, she reads through them to try and learn who the real Grace was. Mr. Preston's revelation of their relationship and the accident and his feelings for Grace don't match the depth of his devotion to her care. His competitive brother seems tacked on. Rachel started out sprightly enough but didn't do anything for me later.

Mesmerizing and heartbreaking and over way too soon. Alyssa Brugman made me care about her characters, believe utterly in their world, and while my mind can't help but continue imagining them long after the pages have run out, I wish I had some concrete glimpse of their future. If not a happily ever after, at least a plateau. Beautifully written, I'll be back for more. ( )

I really liked this book. I was looking for something with a more literary feel to it and I found a book with great writing and excellent heart. The author does a great job of juxtaposing learning about Grace, the woman the protagonist is caring for, with Rachel's own growth into understanding herself and finding her path in life.

The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it's in first person. I know that is the trend in YA but for me it makes it harder to get into because I feel like I'm reading a diary instead of living in the world. But that's just my personal issue. Great book. Highly recommended. ( )

Rachel, 18, has just graduated from high school. She is hired to be a caretaker for a brain-injured woman named Grace. At first Rachel doesn’t think about Grace as a person, but eventually she learns things about Grace that make her want to learn more about the woman and what her life was like before “the accident.”

Older teens will appreciate this coming of age story because the main character is quirky and in the same possition as them: not quite a child, but not quite an adult either. Rachel continuously tells the reader that she "knows everything (well not everything)," but her self confidence breaks as she realizes how little she really understands, or can control. Rachel is also interesting because she is Australian, so some discussion could be based on her dialect. This book could be taught to any kind of group, but I would probably suggest it as an individual read because it has a female main character. ( )

This book was an easy read and kept my interest throughout the story. It was interesting to watch Rachel go from thinking she knew everything to really finding out that she did not know as much as she believed. ( )