Odd. I'm sitting between a 3 and a 4. Super cute romance though (the grocery store dude, I mean.) ( )

An amazing book about survival, overcoming guilt, and discovering the truth. Not necessarily a truth that hurts you, but a truth that helps one move forward. As a person who lived through 9/11 (couldn't find my brother for a few hours; he was able to get out of the city), I can empathize with these characters. One who feels guilt for living and one who is lost, trying to find answers; but are they answers that he really wants. I liked the two-person back and forth POV perspective: one the survivor and one the seeker of the truth and how they came together. I would highly recommend this story. Thank you for writing it! ( )

The 9/11 angle really resonated with me and the romance was sweet. Teens will love the romance but I don't know how much the 9/11 connection will mean to them. ( )

Wow, what a great book! As one could expect from any book trying to tackle the events of 9/11, this was a *tough read* in places. I don’t think it’s possible to relive those details without feeling reminded/triggered about everything that happened that day and in the days that followed, and Julie Buxbaum’s exquisite way with words make that experience even more visceral. Abbi was photographed as a baby being rescued from the towers. She’s lived her entire life as a symbol of hope to others, with parents whose lives have been catastrophically altered by what happened. Without getting into spoilers, Noah’s life was also altered by 9/11, in a different way. Loved all the different angles this examined. Lovely and heartbreaking.

Trigger Warnings: 9/11, cancer, PTSD, death of parent, mass shooting, mass death

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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I read this book as a real time audio buddy read on 9/11 with my friend Amy, and that was the perfect way to experience the story. I felt absolutely immersed right from the start, and I clicked with both of the main characters. They were sweet, smart, teenagers and this is the kind of well done YA that I love, and books like this don't come along very often! There's a sweetness and thoughtfulness in this story, although it contains many dark and even upsetting elements, that reminded me of What I Carry by Jennifer Longo. Content warning: death of parent, violence, trauma, childhood illness.