This book did not hook me from the beginning. It wasn't clear what was plotline or just random details that really didn't matter. Hildy was a likable enough character but she never truly engaged me as a reader. She didn't make me care about her and I suppose that was because she seemingly didn't care about herself. There seemed to be too many social issues to deal with in one book.

I thought this book would never end. I didn't connect with it or the characters from the very beginning. Each chapter jumped from character to character and it was hard to keep them and their storyline separate. There just seemed to be much too much rationalizing about how and why they each did what they did. I don't know if this would be considered a romance novel but it truly left me cold.

This book is an easy read that grabs you from the very beginning. It's a tough story to read because of the level of dysfunction but the way it weaves back and forth between the past and the present helps you understand the characters and why they react as they do. Some of the plot was predictable but there was still the question of who the "he" was that the mother mentioned in her suicide note and how this haunted Cat.

I found the story depressing. I admired Helen for being able to offer her friend a place to come and be while undergoing treatment, even as unorthodox as it was, and trying to be compassionate all the while growing more and more tired and frustrated. The book was not an enjoyable read to me.

Some books take a while to reel you in but I was hooked by this one from the very beginning. I loved it and didn't want it to end. The characters showed that even though we're all flawed beings in some way that we can change and learn to trust and love. I'm still working on the casting for the movie!