The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin - NOT RECOMMENDED

Martin, Emily  The Year We Fell Apart, 314 pgs.  Aladdin, 2016.  $17.99  Content: Language: R (53 swears; 15 “F”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG.  

Harper loves Declan, but because she couldn’t handle their long distant relationship she breaks up with him.  When he comes home for the summer she has a hard time being around him because she loves him, but she has made some mistakes since they broke up that she is embarrassed he will find out about.  On top of that her mother has cancer, and Harper is having a hard time with the way her family is dealing with it.  

I wanted to like this book, just when I thought I couldn’t take Harper’s stupid behavior one more minute, she started to change for the better, but then she reverts back to her bad decisions and it was all I could do to finish the book.  Harper is not a redeeming character and I was unclear multiple times why she was doing exactly what she didn’t like about herself over and over.  The ending was not realistic and I threw the book across the room when I was done.  There is underage drinking, smoking and drug use and heavy make out sessions.  Harper was very sexually active, but because she was still technically a virgin it was all supposed to be okay.  This book was frustrating and disappointing which is sad because I wanted to like the characters, and sometimes I did like them, but in the end it all fell short.   

HS – NOT RECOMMENDED  Reviewer, C. Peterson.