She'd always known them as Nellaya. They'd always been inseparable as sisters no matter the circumstances. They weathered the storm of getting their own personal bedrooms, to Nell in junior high school while Layla went to high school, to their parents divorce. No matter what happened, they were always sisters, watching each other's backs.
Now, Nell is in high school and instead of dreading being Layla Golden's sister, she looks forward to letting everyone know that they are. Nell looks forward to Layla seeing her grow up and get involved in everything from playing soccer to being in the school play. And nothing is more fun than being the freshman going to the parties only juniors and seniors go to. N. Golden and L. Golden....there's nothing more special, beautiful, smart, or driven.
While both sisters are close, Nell does have a separate life filled with her best friend, Felix. When Layla isn't available, Felix is there, donut in hand, to take Nell through those rough spots. So, as far as Nell is concerned, high school is going to be the best experience of her life. She was even fortunate to get into Mr. B's art class, which is nearly impossible to do because it's by far the most popular one on campus. It also didn't hurt that she made the varsity soccer team. Now there are two Goldens on the team helping push the team to tournament victory. Nell has hit her sweet spot in life. And then....
Slowly but surely, something begins to draw Layla away from Nell, and she doesn't like it. First there were the tiny excuses but those soon turn into monster excuses that makes Layla completely separate herself from not only Nell, but her parents too. She begins unwinding from her relationships and Nell can't quite understand what is pushing her away. They shared everything..until now.
It's when Layla reveals the secret that she's hidden for so long to Nell that will either turn the tide for or against the sisters. Watching each other's back now means more to Nell than ever before. She wants to keep her sister safe by keeping her secret, but she also knows she's hurting her more by keeping it.
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective not the truth."
United we stand, divided they fall....
Reinhardt writes a beautiful story about relationships on all levels. From sisters to parents; from friends to enemies, all of these intertwine to create a story with multiple levels but one very meaningful theme, that of family and love. The novel is written through the first person perspective of Nell, where she introduces her family and Felix to the reader as she sees them, not necessarily how they see themselves around her, which is another literary device to create another layer in this complex tale. Reinhardt handles the situation in her book beautifully by diverting against descriptions that tend to take the spotlight in other books with the same dangerous situation. The reader will root for N. Golden the entire way, not only for her fight to win back her relationship with her sister, but also how she creates and immerses herself in other ones and figures out the meaning of family and love. I devoured this book - it's that good!
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