Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)

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The Girls I’ve Been is a powerful gut-punch of a book that will leave you reeling long after its final pages.

in this case, we meet an unconventional, dysfunctional family that has become all too well acquainted with grief. Ones that aren't mentioned: underage drinking, reference to cheating (past, happened to an MC but it wasn't too heavy - an ex cheats on her). The message is clear: If a mere child can step up and be an adult when their family needs it, there is no excuse, even grief, that gives a parent a right to check out on their duties.

Half of the asides didn’t need to be framed as asides and the short sentences lost any sort of emotional impact when they showed up on almost every page. The story really gives a brutal and heartbreaking look into a very underrepresented subgroup: kids forced to be adults too young. I also don't love big sections of text messages in novels unless they feel like they NEED to be included, and the side plot felt like a bit of unnecessary filler at times.

Though they make a truce to be completely unproblematic, responsible daughters, they can’t ignore the blossoming romance between them as they grow closer while grappling with their shared history.Penny and Tate are real, flawed characters who have been dealt a terrible hand in life and are just trying to survive. But when Tate's mother needs a liver transplant, Penny's mom is all too ready to step in as a living donor. Penny and Tate have every right to fear love, but ultimately, readers will be rooting for that kiss to finally come because no two protagonists have ever quite deserved that elusive kiss as much as they do.