Willow by Julia Hoban

Willow
Julia Hoban

There is not a single word to describe this book. It is terrible, amazing, and a heartbreaker at the same time. It made me cry, laugh, smile, sigh, and squeal. Willow is a book like no other. I have never read anything of this genre before but this one was a good one. It was slow at times but it never let me stop reading. I was hooked from the word go and highly recommend it.

Willow is a serious story about a seventeen-year-old girl who deals with life by cutting herself. Having been the driver of the car in the accident that took the lives of her mother and father, she is wounded terribly. She blames herself for the deaths of her parents. To relieve herself she uses razor blades to cut her body, numbing everything away. She lives with her brother and his little family. She can't interact with her older brother very well since the accident either, another reason as to why she causes herself pain.

She meets Guy one night during her shift at the university library. She never expected to meet him. He is nice, funny, and the perfect friend for Willow. She begins to see him time after time, not all of the meetings being her own doing. As she gets to know this charming young man, she learns that she can't keep her secret from him forever. And when it gets out, things will get incredibly complicated.

Hoban has written a novel like no other. The story kept me on the edge of my seat and always interested. Guy is a young man who is just as interesting as Willow is. He's complicated and special. He is just like Willow, and yet so vastly different. The relationship between Willow and Guy is sharp and painful but perfect at the same time. Their love story is a new one and I enjoyed it.

Willow is raw and heartbreaking. It's sweet and heartmelting. As Willow comes to terms with her actions during the accident, the story shows true talent and protrays emotion perfectly. It's nothing like I expected it to be.

This book is a must read. 5 stars.