Synopsis:

Denver, Colorado

1987

There are two sides to every story.

The surface reality that’s presented to the world.

And then there’s the other side.

The real one.

The one that matters.

Seventeen-year-old, self-proclaimed asshole, Toby Page, is alone.

No friends.

No family.

He trades maintenance work in exchange for room and board.

Every day he fights demons no one else can see.

Every day he wants to give up.

But he can’t.

Not yet.

When Alice Eliot moves in downstairs, she offers Toby some light in his dark world.

At a crossroads and barely hanging on, it’s hard to have perspective.

It’s difficult to see your own worth when you’re the villain in your story.

Luckily for Toby, Alice brings things out in him that no one else ever has.

As the two sides of Toby’s story are revealed, and the full reality comes into view, truth is gained.

Improbable alliances prove that kindness is fundamentally human.

Unlikely heroes emerge.

The question is, Will it all be enough to save him?

 

5 STARS

So, here’s the thing, this book left me pretty much speechless.  It continually broke my heart over and over and over again.  Toby is one of the good ones.  He is actually one of the best ones.  He has been dealt a horrible hand in life, but he does not let that stop him.  I am really struggling to write this review, to be honest I finished this book a few weeks ago and have been struggling to compose my thoughts.  I, apparently, still am.  I do not want to give anything away, as part of the amazingness of this book is the unexpected.

If you are looking for a heartfelt, rip your hear out, feel good book, look no further.   All that and more are rolled into this one little ole book.   Just a little heads up – I actually did not cry!  I know!  Unbelievable for me.  It is sad and heartbreaking and told in the most spectacular way that leaves you unable to turn the pages fast enough.