For Your TBR Pile - Wild Awake

WILD AWAKE by Hilary T Smith

When it will be published: out now, by HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen

From GoodReads: Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:
1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:
1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

What I liked most: Holy crap, I loved this book. It's hard to put into words but the best I can come up with is I feel like I just got off a roller coaster and snapped back into reality. Kiri's spiraling mania is intense and powerful and I found myself being pulled right along on this dizzy descent. There were points in the book where I had to actually pull back and say, "you know. She's acting really crazy. She probably needs some help" and in the same breath I wanted to defend her actions and make everyone leave her alone. Let her ride her bike all night in the rain and play the piano until her fingers are nubs and eat fifteen guava fruits and drink tea and listen to radios with Skunk! Leave Kiri alone!

Why you should have it in your TBR pile: I hate to say "the writing" because whenever someone says that I feel like it's a cop out. Sure, it's always about "the writing," but Hilary crafted gorgeous sentences full of mania and humor and raw emotion.

The one scene I'm dying for you to read: Oh Skunk...you love bison, you.