Hanna

It took me some time to pick this up again and finally finish it, but it really was a quick read. Like any of his books, this one is moving and emotional. The lines, “When death takes your mother, it steals that word forever,” and “When someone is in your heart, they’re never truly gone. They come back to you, even at unlikely times,” hit very close to home. If only I could have one more day.

I feel like the book perfectly shows the cost of becoming who you want to be. You spend so much time running toward success and surviving that you don’t realize how much of yourself you’re sacrificing along the way. Harry was one of the characters who reminded me that genuine love and friendship can be just as powerful as romance. I found myself constantly thinking about him and wishing he were still there for Evelyn. Sometimes, the greatest tragedy is realizing that the moments spent surviving came at the cost of the moments you could have spent loving.

It was a fast and easy read, and I couldn’t put it down. The book shows emotional abuse, family expectations, and toxic family dynamics with sensitivity. Despite these heavier themes, it remains funny, sweet, and just the right amount of emotional.