Mary Jane

i'm not even 100% sure where to start, but i'll give it a go. this is one of my favorite books of all time.

it sounds sadistic, but i like reading books where there are traumatic experiences i have personally experienced and/or can relate to. in this case, mary jane living a fearful life under the roof of her bigoted, judgmental conservative parents hits incredibly close to home, and i found myself tearing up as mary jane learns that what she thinks and feels and believes are all valid, only her parents are telling her that there's something “wrong” with her. it was incredibly moving to see her open up and become an integral part of the cone family, all while helping jimmy recover and being the best fake-big sister to izzy. this book gave me a tight hug and reminded me that i don't have to be a product of my parents if i don't want to, and that there's nothing wrong with being me.

also i was 100% imagining sebastian stan as tommy lee for jimmy so that certainly helped my enjoyment