I've noticed this book has lots of mixed reviews. Hm. I don't really care. To each his own. I LOVED, loved, loved this book!! From beginning to end, I can't think of one boring page or one single moment when I looked to see how much further I had to go before completion. In fact, I wish I would've had two hundred more pages to read. I'm going to miss Cece and her obsessive worrying over the selfish, inconsiderate Joan Fortier. I feel sorry for Joan. I've known plenty of Joans; girls that want to be the center of attention but never want to take responsibility for their actions. I'll admit, there was a time in my life when I was a Joan. Yep! Ashamed to admit it but there ya go. Honestly, I identified with both girls. I think there's a little bit of both in each of us. There's always that dynamic in a friendship - one friend that shines brightly, the other content to sit on the sidelines playing the wingman. Cece loved Joan, true! But, Cece was completely codependent. Without Joan, life was boring. Cece knew two things were certain: life with Joan and life without Joan. I think a pivotal point that shakes Cece awake is when she's remembering moments spent with Joan. It seems Joan's back was always to Cece. Joan was always escaping, leaving, running away. Friendships like this are hard to let go of. I've been there. You grow up with someone, as close as sisters. Somewhere along the way, we begin to grow, often times growing apart. It's hard. It hurts. We mustn't let someone define us other than ourselves. Cece allows Joan to control her and lead her astray. Cece is so blinded by her love for Joan that she cannot see what is right before her. This is a story about friendhip that all of us can identify with. It's terribly heartbreaking. This story is played out every day. It's nothing new but it's written in the very best, most entertaining of ways. I freakin loved this book!! Oh! Yes, I did!

*I'm reviewing this book courtesy of Penguin's First to Read program. Many thanks to Riverhead Books for making this available through the program. I'm a happy reader. :)