Oh my, four lovely young people with scars, and no adult in their life to help them deal with things because the parents are screwed up too.This is a story about what happens when secrets are kept about serious matters, like physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse and homophobia. Yeah, that sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Lots of heaviness in this novel and the kind of hurts and sadness that last a lifetime. I was immediately sucked into this story. When Callie saves Kayden from yet another serious beating by his father, their brief meeting sets off what becomes a lovely friendship that develops into a serious first love. That was the beautiful part of this story, and when Callie and Kayden’s trust grows, and their most intimate secrets are revealed, things don’t go so well. There’s a real nice build up to the end of this book, and I found I didn’t want to put it down. There was so much potential for disaster at the end, it was impossible to even anticipate the emotionally charged and potentially devastating ending. I was glad to see that the story was going to be continued.I started reading this thinking that I’d seen these characters before in other YA/NA books, but by the end of the story, they really were very distinct Callie and Kayden. And very nice secondary characters too. Seth and Luke are just great, and they carry secrets of their own. I liked them both. So overall, a dark, emotional tale dealing with the impact of keeping family secrets. Good pacing, interesting characters, with a conclusion that left me wanting more. On to the next book in the series.
