Ratings5
Average rating4.4
“Heartfelt, deeply moving.” —Buzzfeed “Dark and thought-provoking.” —Publishers Weekly “A stunning debut.” —VOYA A poignant, lyrical debut novel about twins who navigate first love, their Jewish identity, and shocking results from a genetic test that determines their fate—whether they inherited their mother’s Huntington’s disease. Eighteen-year-old twins Adina and Tovah have little in common besides their ambitious nature. Viola prodigy Adina yearns to become a soloist—and to convince her music teacher he wants her the way she wants him. Overachiever Tovah awaits her acceptance to Johns Hopkins, the first step on her path toward med school and a career as a surgeon. But one thing could wreck their carefully planned futures: a genetic test for Huntington’s, a rare degenerative disease that slowly steals control of the body and mind. It’s turned their Israeli mother into a near stranger and fractured the sisters’ own bond in ways they’ll never admit. While Tovah finds comfort in their Jewish religion, Adina rebels against its rules. When the results come in, one twin tests negative for Huntington’s. The other tests positive. These opposite outcomes push them farther apart as they wrestle with guilt, betrayal, and the unexpected thrill of first love. How can they repair their relationship, and is it even worth saving? From debut author Rachel Lynn Solomon comes a luminous, heartbreaking tale of life, death, and the fragile bond between sisters.
Reviews with the most likes.
Wow... what a journey
This book is about teens with their whole life ahead of them, also knowing the potential to have Huntington's disease is also a possibility. And finding out your twin has the disease? or that your twin doesn't? Wow...
The book is about dealing with this disease in their lives and understanding themselves. It is difficult to read because of how sad the situation is and what the girls do to cope. There are some very uncomfortable situations and topics that made me wish an adult would be consulted or would find out, because jeez... Seriously, Adina's whole story just made me uncomfortable and I feel so, so bad for her.
This is definitely a page-turner and the writing completely grips you. There are different types of relationships here and all of the characters have different personalities, making the book feel even more realistic.
This is a pretty mature YA book, but important, so I'm not going to shy away from recommending it to people. It is character-driven, so don't go into this thinking there is a problem that needs to be solved. I will definitely be recommending this to people who like contemporary books and don't mind the heavy issues that come up–dealing not only with Huntington's disease, but also sex, depression & anxiety, fighting with siblings, college acceptance/rejection letters, and not being sure of one's future.