A car crashing into a house may be a rare occurrence but it does happen more than you might think. For our best friends Sophie and Tye, an uneventful TV with snacks afternoon is suddenly interrupted by an imploding wall buckling under the pressure of a car forcing its way through. One driver, two passengers, two best friends and one unexpected observer have all witnessed the same crash, but the event will have several accounts.

Unfortunately, not everyone escapes unscathed and Sophie has to come to term with her best friend being in a coma not knowing if and when he will ever wake up.

The only issue I found with this book was the structure. The many back and forth between the past and present did give me a little whiplash and I did feel that it was taking away from really getting into the characters and their story.

Now that’s over and done with, let’s have a look at the things I really enjoyed.

The crash itself is only a culminating moment in the story. What is interesting are the events that led it there, the stories behind the characters. By weaving this multifaceted tale, the author explores issues such as grooming and domestic violence and she also looks at the thin wall between right and wrong, especially with Gemma, one of the passenger in the car whose lack of attention from her parents, leads her astray and right into the hands of a questionable character. But does this absolve her from being responsible for her own actions? Does she find it in her heart to eventually do the right thing?

Gemma, is not the only one flirting with the wrong path. Sophie having her world literally crashing down around her, needs to find some solace and a way to hold on to her faith in her friend coming back to her, however the one thing that keeps her going is probably the one thing she should stay away from, although not everything may be as it seems. Here with Sophie, the author raises the question: why can’t we help doing things we know are wrong?

For me, the unexpected highlight was the character of Issy. Dealing with issues that are well beyond her years, and too young to be the rock that her loved ones rely on. Constantly trying to make herself invisible but ironically she is the one who sees all. I really did like that about her.

This is actually quite an entertaining story, fast pace and it will keep you reading. My only issue mentioned above explains my rating, but don’t let this keep you from missing out on a good read, this is my personal opinion. If you can get passed the constant pendulum swing between periods then you will love it.

And if you do get to read it, please come back here to let me know what you think.

LaChouett

Thanking team @chickenhsebooks and @jazzbartlett for providing me with a copy of this book.