Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for sending this ebook for me to read.
This is the story of Jess and Nicu, troubled teenagers who become unlikely friends and allies when they meet at a youth offending working party.
Both are in difficulties at home, where Jess has an abusive stepfather and Nicu's parents want him to marry a Roma girl and return to their homeland. The pressures on both build and grow, and the splendid verse assists in delivering the tension. The verse makes this quite a quick read, but also an emotional one so be prepared. The issues central to this book are topical whilst being universal and timeless, which will, I think, make it a winner. There are some shining moments of happiness together for the youngsters, which are the more important because of the darkness of their daily lives. The book ends abruptly, but not without some hope.
A must read. ( )

I really liked the story but the ending was just... why? And Nicu's POV really bothered me, it being written in super broken English just does not make sense to me. ( )

A beautiful poignant novel and a fantastic collaboration from two of my favouriteYA authors. ( )

Literary Merit: Okay
Characterization: Poor
Recommended: Not Recommended
Level: High School

The novel written in verse with swapping perspectives has become a popular vehicle for understanding diverse viewpoints, but the popular genre never quite succeeds here. Jess is a white girl living in London and suffering under the abuse of her temperamental father. Nicu is a Romani boy, also living in London, whose parents are planning to marry him off to a girl he doesn't know. When the two meet while completing court-ordered community service, they develop a bond.

This could be the recipe for a great story, but the characters always feel more like types than real people, and all the side characters are completely one-note and two-dimensional. Nicu is Romani, but his heritage feels inauthentic and is relatively unidentifiable without him telling us (he mostly comes off as a general "person of color"), and he often falls into the "noble savage" trope, remaining an eternal cinnamon roll and even sacrificing himself and all he's worked towards for the white girl at the end. The decision to have all of his poems in broken English feels lazy and uninspired. This book is trying to be timely and compassionate, but there are many other books out there that do it far better. ( )

A story, told in free-verse, about two teens who meet in a program for young offenders, both of them there for petty shoplifting. Nicu is a Roma (gypsy) from Romania. His family is in North London to earn money for his arranged marriage, to happen in several months. He is only 15, and even though he knows it is the culture of his people, he does not want to get married. Jess lives with her mother and her violent stepfather. Tormented, she spends as much time as possible out of the house, and lives in fear when she is home. In a short time, the two become friends and start to rely on each other, but Jess's former friends aren't having Nicu as part of their life. ( )