There are two main reasons why I didn’t want to read this book in the first place.

Firstly, I’m a Christian, and this kind of romance is against my belief.

Secondly, I have an older brother, in fact I have 3 brothers (1 older and 2 younger), and I don’t want this book to taint my state of mind regarding my relationship with my brothers.

On the contrary, there are also two reasons why I decided to read this book eventually.

Firstly, this kind of romance happens in real life. I wanted to have a glimpse of idea of what could be the reason why this happens.

Secondly, my curiosity got the best of me. 

Suggestion: Do not read this at work or at school or in any public places. Just don’t.

Why?

1.       Because there’s an 80-90% probability that you would shed a tear/cry/ugly sob by reading this book; then

2.       People around you would wonder what the hell is wrong with you when you get emotional so they would ask you “Why?” or “Are you okay?” then you would be hesitant to tell them the reason is because “I’m crying because of this book about a brother and a sister who fell in love with each other….blah blah blah”...... and they wouldn’t understand you because they’re not booklovers, and booklovers only understand their own kind, so they might judge you for what you’re reading, so you might not tell them the reason and for that they would think you’re some kind of crazy for not being able to explain them why you’re emotional about this book…..then blah blah blah......

 So to avoid all the hassle, read this book at a place where you are comfortable sobbing with, whether it be your bedroom, study room or at any place as long as you feel at peace and not susceptible by the judging public eye.

I know this because I read this while at work though I didn’t shed a tear or sob or cry, but I was like utter useless for a while and I couldn’t think straight and focus on my work. 

This book also made me furious not for the two main characters but to their parents. I believe that their irresponsible parents had a lot to do why they ended up being in love with each other. I think they were given a responsibility not suitable for just teenagers. They should be enjoying their teenage life not acting like parents who are responsible to their siblings’ every need.  

 I am not justifying that what Lochan and Maya did was okay. No. Actually I sympathize with them for they were victims. What they did was wrong in the eyes of every one (law, society, community and most importantly in the eyes of God.)

 But this book was beautifully written. I marvel at how the author was able to make many people love the two MC despite their forbidden relationship. She made us understand and look at them with fair judgment and not just reproach them for what they did.

 Honestly, I like Lochan for I see myself through him. We have a lot in common. One is I used to be like him, in a way that I wasn’t really friendly with others and I was too shy in class. Recitation was not my favorite. Reporting in front of the class was dreadful for me. But despite all that I was able to overcome that fear or phobia (whatever you call that feeling) during my college days, though I’m still experiencing this feeling until now but what’s important is that I know I could beat this fear with the support from my family, friends and most importantly with God.

 This book taught me things to consider such as:

1.       It taught me to be responsible when I become a parent someday. I should take care of my children.

2.       I should be attentive to consider if there’s something (esp romantically) going on when I have a son and a daughter.

3.       Open communication. Talk to your children and be open-minded. As a parent (if ever), I should be the first person to understand or provide guidance to my children when they are facing any problems (esp romantic relationship) and to not desert them when the troubles are inevitable.

My advice to all siblings (brother and sister) out there:

1.       Do not fantasize romantically any of your siblings, ever.

2.       It is fine to have a close relationship with your sibling/s but a romantic relationship is a recipe of doom.

3.       Learn to draw the line. Set limitations to the closeness with your sibling/s.

This book left me in disarray. I couldn’t finish this review because there were a lot of things that I wanted to say about this book (well obviously it’s done because you’re reading it now, but it took me weeks to finally post this). I couldn’t write another book review. I was way behind my own goal in writing book reviews. This book destroyed me and my recovery was so slow. But time healed me and I’m starting to get back on track slowly.

This book is beautiful, taboo, tragic and with no happy ending so be warned. But I’m evil enough to recommend this book to all of you readers out there. Try this!

#my heart aches for them

#dang! my dark/taboo reads were so few I could count them with my fingers (on one hand)

#now I’m curious about taboo books out there

#do you know some books that have dark or taboo topics? Feel free to suggest.

#A shout-out to Lainey of gingerreads. She was the reason I discovered this book.

Sixteen-year-old Maya and seventeen-year-old Lochan have to look after their three younger siblings and share household responsibilities while still going to school and doing their homework. Their father left them five years ago and now has a new family and when they do see their mother she's drunk. She usually stays over at her boyfriend's house pretending she doesn't have five children. At school Lochan is socially inept. The one person he considers his best friend is Maya. When Maya goes out on her first date, she doesn't want the guy to kiss her because she's in love with someone else.

Lochan and Maya are in love with each other.

The author did a good job of taking a taboo subject and creating this story. It wasn't like the brother and sister went at it the whole book. They were in denial, they knew it was wrong and thought of their family and the consequences, they followed their heart. They needed to feel like they were loved and wanted since their parents didn't care about them. They, as well as the others, were fleshed out into real characters and I couldn't help but feel for them. It's just a sad story about a dysfunctional family.

I will start out this review by saying that this book isn't for everyone and a simple glance at it's Goodreads' page will tell you that.

Right off the bat, you will find out that this book includes an incestuous relationship between a brother and a sister. And I will tell you that when I read that I was very, very hesitant to read it. I was honestly about to move on and choose a different book to read as I didn't know that this book had that kind of relationship when I put the book into my TBR jar. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the reviews and ratings this book had gotten.

Most of them....highly praised this book.

So, I was curious. What about this book made it wonderful, so wonderful that a lot of people were able to look past the taboo relationship? So, curiosity won. I bought the book.

And I'm so happy I did.

While this book does have an incestuous relationship between a brother -- Lochan -- and a sister -- Maya -- this book is mainly about those two teenagers having to raise three younger siblings because of an alcoholic mother and an absent father. Quite truthfully, the relationship isn't a thing until at least halfway through the book.

The first half of the book is simply learning Lochan's and Maya's story, Lochan is on the cusp of graduating from secondary/high school and Maya is his younger (by 13 months) sister. When they were young, their father left their mother and moved to Australia with a new woman and hasn't really contacted them since Lochan was a pre-teen. Their mother turned to alcohol and partying to cope and you come to find out that she never wanted any kids; but, her ex-husband did hence why she had five children. You learn about Kit, a 13 year old who resents Lochan because Lochan was never a brother but was always a father. And you meet Tiffin and Willa, their much younger siblings who are cute as can be and have no cares in the world.

And you continue reading, about one-fourth of the way through, you start to see hints of Lochan's and Maya's relationship starting to form. Talk about feelings that shouldn't be there and other things like that; but, I was able to over look their relationship (even as it on cemented and deeper) and focus on them just struggling to live and making sure that their three younger siblings got everything that they needed and wanted. Hell, by the end of the book, I was rooting for them. I didn't see that coming. But this book is so well-written. I honestly can't even say how it was so well-written but Suzuma didn't just tell a story : she painted it. You could picture everything. You could feel Lochan's stress and struggles as he worries about university, his social anxiety/phobia, his feelings for his sister, his little siblings, getting money from his mom to pay the bills and get food on the table, etc, etc ,etc.

I do have one complaint about this story; but, it could be that Suzuma was aiming for this. The story is told with two alternating point-of-views : Lochan's and Maya's. But by the end of the story, I felt that Maya was a secondary character and Lochan was the main. Perhaps that was the point as Lochan was the eldest and had most of the responsibilities of raising the children and most of the struggles were on his shoulders.

Overall, I give this book a 8.5 out of 10. A very good read. Wonderfully written and I definitely recommend anyone to read it regardless of genre tastes.

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

I will start out this review by saying that this book isn't for everyone and a simple glance at it's Goodreads' page will tell you that.

Right off the bat, you will find out that this book includes an incestuous relationship between a brother and a sister. And I will tell you that when I read that I was very, very hesitant to read it. I was honestly about to move on and choose a different book to read as I didn't know that this book had that kind of relationship when I put the book into my TBR jar. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the reviews and ratings this book had gotten.

Most of them....highly praised this book.

So, I was curious. What about this book made it wonderful, so wonderful that a lot of people were able to look past the taboo relationship? So, curiosity won. I bought the book.

And I'm so happy I did.

While this book does have an incestuous relationship between a brother -- Lochan -- and a sister -- Maya -- this book is mainly about those two teenagers having to raise three younger siblings because of an alcoholic mother and an absent father. Quite truthfully, the relationship isn't a thing until at least halfway through the book.

The first half of the book is simply learning Lochan's and Maya's story, Lochan is on the cusp of graduating from secondary/high school and Maya is his younger (by 13 months) sister. When they were young, their father left their mother and moved to Australia with a new woman and hasn't really contacted them since Lochan was a pre-teen. Their mother turned to alcohol and partying to cope and you come to find out that she never wanted any kids; but, her ex-husband did hence why she had five children. You learn about Kit, a 13 year old who resents Lochan because Lochan was never a brother but was always a father. And you meet Tiffin and Willa, their much younger siblings who are cute as can be and have no cares in the world.

And you continue reading, about one-fourth of the way through, you start to see hints of Lochan's and Maya's relationship starting to form. Talk about feelings that shouldn't be there and other things like that; but, I was able to over look their relationship (even as it on cemented and deeper) and focus on them just struggling to live and making sure that their three younger siblings got everything that they needed and wanted. Hell, by the end of the book, I was rooting for them. I didn't see that coming. But this book is so well-written. I honestly can't even say how it was so well-written but Suzuma didn't just tell a story : she painted it. You could picture everything. You could feel Lochan's stress and struggles as he worries about university, his social anxiety/phobia, his feelings for his sister, his little siblings, getting money from his mom to pay the bills and get food on the table, etc, etc ,etc.

I do have one complaint about this story; but, it could be that Suzuma was aiming for this. The story is told with two alternating point-of-views : Lochan's and Maya's. But by the end of the story, I felt that Maya was a secondary character and Lochan was the main. Perhaps that was the point as Lochan was the eldest and had most of the responsibilities of raising the children and most of the struggles were on his shoulders.

Overall, I give this book a 8.5 out of 10. A very good read. Wonderfully written and I definitely recommend anyone to read it regardless of genre tastes.

Until the next page turn,

Tiffany

Brief Background: Lochan and Maya are two of five siblings growing up in a highly dysfunctional household. With a father who abandoned them for a new life across the globe and an alcoholic mother, the two eldest siblings have found themselves in a unique and undesirable position of trying to raise their two younger brothers and sister. Couple this stress with Lochan's social anxiety and difficulties in adapting to change and you have a recipe for drama. When Lochan and Maya develop feelings for each other, it's often hard for the reader to discern whether this was an authentic tale of brother and sister affection-turn-attraction, or simply the product of Lochan's loneliness and the tumultuous environment they find themselves in.

What I Liked:

1. Writing style. Poetic and lovely is how I would (inadequately) describe Suzuma's style. It was beautiful to read, and made the conundrum of incestuous love a more pressing question rather than immediately making the reader decide they didn't agree with the premise. I think the authenticity of Lochan and Maya's feelings was well portrayed by the writing style - it conveyed the sense of fragility, confusion and ultimately tear-jerking pain surrounding their relationship.

2. Character development. Surprisingly, it was the ancillary characters who I thought were the most adequately developed. Kit, for example, was a highly unlikable figure throughout most of the novel, but the development clearly showed him as a scarred and emotionally unstable character who was deeply affected by his environment. The depiction of Lochan's struggles with social anxiety made his retreat into his family life more realistic, and I think the problems he had facing public speaking and interaction with his peers were well portrayed.

3. Relationship development. Neither of the characters jumped straight into this and although there was definitely a sense of urgency in their love affair, it was certainly developed slow enough to portray the inner turmoil present. The prose also clearly raised the larger questions of whether Maya and Lochan were organically attracted to each other, or whether it was a result of Lochan's virtual social exclusion and Maya's brokenness. This was ultimately left for the reader to decide.

4. Moral questioning. I love that this book didn't put the ick factor on incest as a straight up. The characters were flawed, the relationship fragile, but ultimately, it never set out to completely deride incestuous/brother-sister relationships. For me, it raised the larger questions of: Can we really decide who is allowed to love who in today's society? Do we have a right to outright ban incestuous relationships which are not based on a power imbalance? Are the risks associated with childbirth due to incest enough for society to condemn these relationships? I mean, what about relationships where both parents have hereditary disorders which will be ultimately passed onto their children - why do we allow them to love? What about homosexual relationships which can ultimately not have biological children? It's all quite fascinating, in my opinion.

What I didn't like:

1. Convenience of ending. I feel like (although it was tear-jerking), Suzuma took a slightly easy road out here. Instead of forcing the characters to deal with their issues and society's condemnation of their relationship, the ending simply dealt with the characters in order to allow one to escape virtually unscathed (in a progressive sense, obviously there would have been clear emotional issues attached to that but we don't get to see much of the future here).

2. Emotional maturity. Although Maya and Lochan are in a unique position, I feel like occasionally their inner monologues were slightly too mature for their age. Keeping in mind Maya is 16 and Lochan is 17, I felt at times I was reading through the eyes of emotionally mature adults, particularly when the two were at home. Their self-awareness was rather too rational at times to seem as if it was coming from two teenagers (albeit older teenagers with a lot more responsibility). 

Overall, I think this book is thought provoking and emotionally satisfying. It delivers on controversial romance and scandal, but sometimes fails to appreciate the position of teenagers in society. Ultimately, depending on your views, the ending may be a bit lacklustre, but it's definitely worth the read.