The book definitely was nothing I expected but that's the best part about it. ( )

Haunting, sad story, although not necessarily suspenseful. It's a story of a girl who lived in the woods and longs for a family, and the naive young man who tries so desperately to save her, with disastrous consequences. Great setting as well, set in the backwoods and swamps of Texas (? I can't remember exactly which state).

The writing is beautiful and draws you in, making you feel as if you're really there. The book kept you turning the pages, wanting to know what happens next. Wonderful telling of how no good deed goes unpunished, and everything quickly spirals out of control in the second half of the book. Poor Henry is so naive and I truly felt bad for him, that he keeps trying and trying without a payoff, and he keeps digging further and further into the hole he's found himself in, until there's no turning back. His mother and sister-in-law were such good people. There are many characters in this book, and you will fall in love and hate some of them.

Speaking of characters, four stars because some of the characters weren't very fleshed out and seemed very one dimensional. I just felt like so much more could have been done with Eve's character, and she could have been so interesting. Same goes for Henry's stepfather. The romance also wasn't really a romance. I love a good love story, but I couldn't see the attraction between Henry and Eve. It seemed like one day she just came into the house, and all of a sudden they were in love, without any kind of buildup. Also a minor irk, but I never got an idea of how old the characters were. Referring to Eve as a "girl" made me think she was a little girl / teenager, when she wasn't.

Not really a HEA, but more of a bittersweet, more realistic ending for a dark story like this. Takeaway of the book is, and so many of us fall into this trap, that we can't always fix someone who's broken, no matter what we do for them, and love doesn't always conquer all. ( )

Haunting, sad story, although not necessarily suspenseful. It's a story of a girl who lived in the woods and longs for a family, and the naive young man who tries so desperately to save her, with disastrous consequences. Great setting as well, set in the backwoods and swamps of Texas (? I can't remember exactly which state).

The writing is beautiful and draws you in, making you feel as if you're really there. The book kept you turning the pages, wanting to know what happens next. Wonderful telling of how no good deed goes unpunished, and everything quickly spirals out of control in the second half of the book. Poor Henry is so naive and I truly felt bad for him, that he keeps trying and trying without a payoff, and he keeps digging further and further into the hole he's found himself in, until there's no turning back. His mother and sister-in-law were such good people. There are many characters in this book, and you will fall in love and hate some of them.

Speaking of characters, four stars because some of the characters weren't very fleshed out and seemed very one dimensional. I just felt like so much more could have been done with Eve's character, and she could have been so interesting. Same goes for Henry's stepfather. The romance also wasn't really a romance. I love a good love story, but I couldn't see the attraction between Henry and Eve. It seemed like one day she just came into the house, and all of a sudden they were in love, without any kind of buildup. Also a minor irk, but I never got an idea of how old the characters were. Referring to Eve as a "girl" made me think she was a little girl / teenager, when she wasn't.

Not really a HEA, but more of a bittersweet, more realistic ending for a dark story like this. Takeaway of the book is, and so many of us fall into this trap, that we can't always fix someone who's broken, no matter what we do for them, and love doesn't always conquer all. ( )

The whole story was amazingly sad and depressing. Disturbing even. The plot was a little disjointed and jumped around at the beginning but once I got into it, I couldn't stop. The setting was a bit odd and I had a hard time remembering that the story was set in modern day Texas and not some 1950's backwater town. (Not sure if that's good or bad) A story about how no matter how much you might love someone, love alone can't fix everything. From the reviews I thought was going to be about a girl who had been raised in the woods by animals or something but it turns out she had been sold into the human trafficking system by her family. The story is about how her earlier life and her abuse effected everyone around her, including the people that had come to love her and care for her. Henry does everything in his power to to protect Eve from herself and the people who want to get her back, even going as far as covering up a murder, which then leads to another death. Great plot twist at the end. I totally believed that Henry had failed in "fixing" Eve. ( )

The prose is excellent. I found myself pulled into the story even when it struck me as implausible and depressing. Be warned, the subject matter concerns the dark side of humanity. ( )