My Never Ending List

Desperation and commitment clung to the pages in this novel. The main characters are each trying to overcome the obstacles that have tainted their lives   Eric is no longer a part of his family for his addiction has become the center of his life. His life is frantic, desperate and high energy as his drug addiction is the ups and downs of his existence. It only took a year for his life to be swallowed away, and Eric remembers what led him down this path.   He had it all, it was in the palm of his hand and they allowed him the opportunity to succeed. His future looked bright yet Eric needed more than just freedom. Eric should have spoken up, he needed someone to stand with him and now, his future was crumbling. Hope, she fears for Eric’s future now that he was outside the confines of their family home. Hope is looking for her own place to land; somewhere safe among friends where she not labeled according to her brother’s past for her own identity has yet to be determined. Unfortunately, it’s her last year of high school and she’s being sent out of town to a private school, where no one including Hope herself, knows who she is. I worried about what might occur as she finds herself in her new surroundings. She was alone and not sure of herself and left to fend for herself. When she fell in love with Devon, her new online, never-seen-before-boyfriend, I knew this was not good. Devon says the right things, he always there for her and he is one perfect guy - I was cringing.   I knew hell was going to open up and swallow her before this relationship was over but just how bad was this going to get?

Eric was desperate to get his next high and now Hope is becoming desperate to find her niche in the world. Why must Hope feel like she needs to find someone to fit in? Why do individuals have to commit to others to fit in? Can’t they float around until they find the right niche and then try them on for size? This novel was a great fit for me as I was captured between these two characters.   The author’s writing seizes the intensity and the anxiety as Eric tries to cope with his addiction. Its survival mode as his craving consumes him. He knows it all began with an event in his past but how can that help him now? His sister will do just anything for her brother but she needs to find her own identity. She seems so innocent and timid, can she handle being out on her own?

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn for providing me a copy of this novel to review. This review is my opinion.