Such a lovely book, it will have you overwhelmed with emotions in the first few pages.

Then it will proceed to take you on a rollercoaster of hope, and heartbreak as two kids try and find a family to call their own. This story of siblings, broken homes and found families is one that you won't regret reading. Though you may regret not having enough tissues.

I love the way C.G. Drews writes these characters. Her style / voice gives so much depth to these lives. We all know a Sam & Avery, the kids that were fighting their battle with their abusive home life while dealing with school, and growing up invisible. The kids that were damaged before they were even able to speak up for themselves. They some how managed to get away from their abusers but now have to figure out how to navigate life without the trusted adult to guide them. This book doesn't just touch on physical abuse, but emotional as well. It's a read that leads you through the lives of two children that never had the parent to run to when they were alone, and does so in an elegant way that leaves you feeling hope instead of sadness.

If you were one of these kids then you will know the De Lainey family just as well as you know the Lou's. The kids that you thought had the most awesome family even though they complained about it constantly. The family that you wished with all your might would adopt you, and suck you into their madness.

Even if this isn't your genre, or even the type of book you'd ever read in a million years. I encourage you to pick it up. Fall in love with these characters, then go out into the world and spread kindness to the people who thought they were invisible.

While I held it together for most of this book pretty okay, the acknowledgements caught me off guard, and I could help but cry. Stab me right in the hard why don't you:

"And to anyone reading this book who is searching for something like family or a home or friends who will wrap you up tight and keep you close: I hope you find what you are looking for." ( )

3 stars, because it's well-written, but DNF, bailing at 42%, because I'm not tough enough for this one. I'm not looking ahead, either. Maybe some day I'll return to it. ( )

Sobbing ( )

This is my second book by C.G. Drews and once again I was drawn in by a touching story of overcoming abuse, finding relationships that nurture you, and hope. Fifteen-year-old Sam and his older brother Avery who has autism have been kicked out of their parents’ home, and abandoned by every relative who could have taken them in. Avery has turned to unsavory characters who promise him a way to survive. Sam breaks into houses, just wanting to feel safe for a night. One day he breaks into the house of a large family who all mistake him for the friend of someone else. This examines many hard issues including homelessness, disability, child abuse, the burden that can be placed on older children to provide childcare for younger siblings after the loss of a parent, and others. Another wonderful read by C.G. Drews.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. ( )

A friend of mine recommended this book to me and all I can say is that she must know me better than I thought because it was like this book was written for me.

It's about a homeless boy and the autistic older brother he feels responsible for. After being abandoned by every relative they have, Sam's on the street. His dream is to have a home of his own, a place he can keep Avery safe from those who laugh at him, from those who exploit him. He spends most of each day trying to find empty houses in to sleep for a night or two, keeping keys he steals like trophies.

Then one day he picks the wrong house and the family who live there come home while he is still inside. A large family who just assume he's one of the many friends and acquaintances belonging to the many siblings and drag him into their midst.

After looking for a place to belong for as long as he can remember, Sam suddenly finds himself accepted and drawn into the noisy chaos of this family. And quite possibly falling for Moxie, the oldest girl.

But there's still Avery and Sam discovers it's harder to escape from his past than it is to escape the police.

This is a beautifully written book and the characters are painfully real. Sam isn't just some innocent little boy who has been wronged; he has flaws and does some awful things. Sure, they're often for the right reasons, and it's easy to see why he might see them as his only choice, given the way he's been forced to live, but they're still wrong.

The main story is interspersed with sections outlining moments from Sam and Avery's past, leading up to the events that led to them fleeing their aunt's house to the street.

I loved this book. It touches on almost all the things I tend to write about too: relationships between siblings, finding home and family where you can and creating a new self from the broken pieces of a traumatic childhood.

So it goes without saying that I would recommend this one... ( )