Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language:  Every swear word was used in this book many, many times.  The F word alone was used about 64 times.  The S word, 45 times.  There was frequent profanity (God or Jesus used as exclamations).

Sexual Content:  There was frequent talk about sex and sexual things, teenagers having sex, kissing and touching.  There were several references to male anatomy in sexual terms.

Violence:  Several kids have grown up in violent and abusive homes.  There were some scenes of fighting and violence.

Adult Themes:  Underage drinking and drug abuse, child abuse, the foster care system, mental illness, suicide, death, marital affairs, teenage sex.

Synopsis

(from Goodreads)  No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.  But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined.  They should have nothing in common.  And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again. 

This is a story that will break your heart but in the next beat, give you hope that broken hearts can mend. I love the imagery of the scars, both seen and unseen. So many of us carry those unseen scars and thank heaven for the people who look deep enough to see them and love us anyway.  There are just mounds of problems presented in this book.  It is at times overwhelming that so many issues were hit so hard. But I also recognize that any and all of those issues belong to so many of us. We can all connect in some way with Echo and Noah.  While I can recognize the value of the message and even appreciate much of this book I would be lying if I said that I loved it. My biggest problem with the book was the swearing. I was honestly floored by the extreme use of the F word.  I know that the author was portraying a character and he was rough around the edges. I know what she was going for. I still think the repeated swearing was overboard. For me, it completely detracted from the story.  I had a really hard time reading this book.  This book is labeled YA which is technically ages 15-25.  Because of the content I recommend strong caution, especially for the younger readers of this age group.