A book club is introduced early on but you don’t really get to see it in action (two characters discuss Raven Boys a little, but very little), so it’s a slight letdown that the bookish content here isn’t as prominent as it initially seems it might be. But it’s understandable that the book club falls pretty quickly to the wayside of the story given that Jinny has far more pressing concerns in her turbulant homelife, dealing with her frequently absent mom who struggles with mental health issues and pays their bills mostly through sex work, it’s a sad, sometimes scary situation that’s compelling and convincingly depicted.

The dialogue could have used a touch more variety (or maybe that’s just my own pet peeve with dialogue peppered with everyone calling each other “girl”). This book veers into stereotypes at times, although it also defies stereotypes in places, too. Most importantly when it came to the writing, the author really tapped into Jinny’s emotions, you feel for this girl, you want the best for her.

I liked Jinny’s love interest (and loved his mom), I didn’t doubt that his feelings were genuine, however, I wish there had been a little more time to develop the romance, especially since this is someone who used to call Jinny by an unflattering name, I really craved a discussion about how he used to treat her and what had changed for him beyond her appearance, how he came to see her in a different light, I guess it just seemed like Jinny deserved to hear that expressed out loud and as a reader, I wanted that moment, too.

As mentioned, I loved the love interest’s mom (she’s one of the book’s stereotype defiers), she’s part of the found family vibes this novel does so well, the reason this story isn’t as much of a downer as the subject matter might suggest is this group of people, friends, moms, school faculty and some other adults who step up for Jinny, and while unfortunately a network of support like that doesn’t gather for every kid like her in real life, it is heartening to read about the possibility of it happening. ( )

There's enough grittiness in this book to make a year's supply of sandpaper. Jinny is super intelligent, but had been browbeaten and brainwashed by her mother for years. Mom goes ballistic whenever Jinny tries to talk about an accomplishment or a future involving college.
Mom also moonlights as a sex worker, often leaving her daughter to fend for herself with inadequate funds to buy food for extended periods of time. Jinny's so busy trying to survive that she has little time to realize how unnatural her life at home is, or how poor a parent she has. It takes an intervention by a very caring and persistent teacher, coupled with a traffic accident caused by her mom that lands Jinny in the hospital to make her realize she's worthwhile and deserves better. Toss in an unexpected boyfriend, Jinny starting a book club at school, plus the requisite mean girls, and you have a very well-crafted story. This is the kind of book that in the hands of certain at risk teens, might save them from a very terrible fate and that's far from exaggeration ( )