Willow by Julia Hoban

[description from B&N]

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow's parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy -one sensitive, soulful boy-discovers Willow's secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the "safe" world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl's struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy's refusal to give up on her.

Review:

If you haven't heard about this book yet, or how great it is, you must live in a hole. There are loads of reviews of this book floating around, but with good reason. Because this books is awesome.

Although I do agree with everyone that says the characters are kind of flat, the plot and emotional depth in the book make the book as great as it is. The plot isn't terribly exciting, but there is a suspenseful kind of feel, since Willow is a bit unpredictable, especially once she meets Guy. She's already emotionally unstable, but as soon as she meets him, she becomes both crazier and slightly more predictable. It's easy to see how she might end up, but some of her choices make you rethink how things will end up.

Willow was one of the only characters that felt really developed; the others passed as people who could actually exist, but they weren't that complex. Guy, the love interest, in particular seemed a little too faultless, but he was still incredibly sweet and helpful, which made me (and many others, I've noticed) love him. Willow, on the other hand, is a wonderfully developed character. Her grieving, concerns about her new living situation, feelings about Guy are easy to relate to since they are so well described.

I loveloveloved the writing in the book. It's third person from the point of view of Willow (if that makes any sense), but the third person somehow makes Willow seem more realistic. The sentences are straightforward, and almost choppy; they reflect Willow's many powerful emotions. (Now that doesn't make much sense.)

Willow is a wonderful, emotional, powerful novel that you really should read if you haven't already. (Seriously, there can't be that many people in the blogosphere that haven't read this book. But if you're one of them, READ IT! )

9/10

(and yes, I do realize that I am very late in reviewing this. sorry. xD)

Dial/Hardcover/$16.99/Amazon/B&N/Borders/IndieBound

*Thanks for the book, J. (: