I feel like this book might be kind of polarizing, with its alternating viewpoints/timelines and its quirky quirkiness. But overall, it worked pretty well for me — especially the parts told by Noah.
So, at 13, twins Jude and Noah are still amazingly close, despite navigating a turbulent family life. They’re both artists (he draws, she sculpts) and plan to attend the same art school. But then something (or a bunch of somethings) happens, and 3 years later they barely speak. The plot at 13 is narrated by Noah, who’s fallen in love with the boy next door. I loved Noah, and his over-dramatic, hyperbolic speech.
“I love you,” I say to him, only it comes out, “Hey.”
“So damn much,” he says back, only it comes out, “Dude.”
And then at 16, we’re in Jude’s mind — she’s cut off her long hair, lives buried inside her hoodie, and spends a lot of time with her dead grandma. She’s also obsessed with getting a certain famous sculptor to tutor her — and desperate to ignore the gorgeous English guy who lives with him.
“No hot guy should be allowed to have an English accent and drive a motorcycle.
Not to mention wear the leather jacket or sport the cool shades. Hot guys should be forced into footie pajamas.”
It’s definitely one of those books that seems to be telling so many stories all at once — only to tie them all together magically (although not neatly) in the end.