Chapter by Chapter

This book reminded me a lot of a Danielle Steele novel. There were twists and turns happening all over the place. The tears came early for me, and the emotions were up and down all throughout the novel.Dale does a great job of introducing Huntington’s Disease to the reader. For those of us who are not quite familiar with the disease, the way Dale describes the symptoms, of what it looks like to an outsider who is not aware of what this disease does to the body, was done perfectly. Anyone who reads this book will walk away more aware and more knowledgeable.The characters were brought to life by Dale’s writing. We are introduced to two completely different lives and characters, who’s lives crash all around them due to Huntington’s Disease. I loved the switching of point of views between Rosie and Holly. It was interesting to read how the decisions and actions that, for example, Rosie did affected Holly and vice versa. It was always an emotional scale when it came to these two characters. You feel immense happiness for one character, but then in the next chapter, we are shown the emotions of the other character and it’s the complete opposite of your original emotion! I was annoyed when I should have been, I was upset at always the right points, and I was happy when the situation called for it.Dale has also created a great cast of supporting characters that helped in solidifying this story. Josh, Jack, Andy, Kitty…all these characters were the true backbone of this rollercoaster ride, and without them, the story would not have been as dramatic and enveloping. There are points in the book where I was exasperated with the situation and wondered when this was all going to end already, but then Dale throws in another curve ball, and I’m sucked right back into the drama.This is one of those stories where pretty much every person you meet in the story somehow crosses paths, and intensifies the story even more. Dale does a fantastic job with the chapter transitions from one voice to the other. I could definitely picture this book as a movie similar to those made from Nicolas Sparks novels.I recommend this book to any YA Contemporary fans. This will be a story you won’t soon forget, and will walk away more knowledgeable than when you first started.