Poppy's family is on the move, again. Keeping their identity a secret, never letting anyone get to close. She's been on the run her whole life. New names, new cities, new schools. Her mom doesn't leave home ofter, her dad is always on the watch. When they settle at a new spot in California, her mom seems different. Her parents calm, practiced exterior seems frayed. Poppy, for the first time, falls in love with an impossibly handsome, privileged boy and for the first time she starts to think about her own future.
Family secrets are revealed and truths uncovered as Poppy tries to figure out who she is beyond her insular family unit. ( )

4 1/2 stars. I have been in a reading slump for several weeks and this book pulled me out of it. Poppy and her family have been on the run all of her life. She and her sister know better than to make friends or give out any revealing personal information. But Poppy is about to turn 18 and she wonders what will happen to her once she becomes an adult. She convinces her parents to let her go to a summer school class which gives her a glimpse of what her future could be. She meets a teacher who wants to be her mentor and a boy who could be more than a friend. Poppy begins to search for information about her parents' identities. Who are they? Why are they hiding? Unused to technology, her actions put her parents in jeopardy. How much should Poppy sacrifice for her family when she doesn't even know the truth about her parents? What about her future? And what will she decide when none of her choices give her everything she wants? ( )

teen fiction - knowing that Poppy's family's precarious situation can unravel at any moment (and most likely because of something she does) is very suspenseful, but the well-paced writing also makes this hard to put down, with a sweet bit of romance rolled in. ( )

Aren't you just intrigued by that premise? As soon as I read those five principles included in the summary, I knew that this was a book that I wanted to read. And I jumped at the chance to read this one not even realizing that this book was young adult which I don't usually read. Books like this could definitely change that though! I started this one on a Friday night only expecting to read a chapter or two. Before I knew it though, I was almost 35% in. This book was such a page turner (well I was swiping pages since I was reading on my e-reader). From the very beginning, I found myself completely intrigued by the premise. I kept trying to guess what her parents were running from and why. It just made for such a compelling read. I'm going to be honest that the budding romance was an element of the book that I could take or leave. I don't mean that in a bad way - it just wasn't what kept me reading and pulled me into the story. I'm also not the intended audience for this book - and I can guarantee that my daughter would be completely behind the romance that was developing. I'm actually planning on handing my copy of this book off to her because I'm absolutely sure that she would enjoy it. The one that I loved most about this book was that even with all of the unknowns and questions - the love that Poppy's family had for one another was strong and present throughout the pages of this book. It was so nice to see the love that they had for one another. I just really enjoyed this book and definitely plan on reading more by this author in the future.

Readers who enjoy young adult mysteries, suspenseful and page turning reads, or those who just want a plain good read should pick this book up!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher. Honest thoughts are my own. ( )

"We'll always be together."

Poppy's parents won't tell her anything about their past. Instead, they live by a set of rules designed to keep them safe - don't tell anyone your real name, your mother can never be seen in public, if anything feels off, go to the meeting place. Every time Poppy or her younger sister Emma start to get close to someone, the family packs up their bags and moves, picking up a mysterious package with new fake identities and a wad of cash. But one day, on a whim, Poppy takes a DNA test, setting into motion a chain of events she can't take back, no matter how much she might want to.

Poppy's seventeen, facing a future where she can never keep one identity long enough to finish a class, much less go to college or build a career. When she enrolls in a number theory class on a whim, she discovers how many gaps she has in her knowledge and how many opportunities she's missed by moving around so much, but she also discovers she has a keen intellect ready for the challenge of catching up, and a handsome boy in her class ready to help her discover all the things she's missed. But stopping running means giving up on her parents, a choice Poppy isn't sure she's ready to make. Poppy's determined to find out why they live the way they do and what her parents are running from.

This book is complete with tension, drama, a handsome rich boy and a star-crossed love story. The mystery of Poppy's parents' identity kept me hooked, frantically turning pages to find out what clue Poppy would discover next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )