title: Every Time You Go Away
author: Abigail Johnson
publisher: Inkyard Press
publication date: December 5, 2023
pages: 368
peppers: 2 of 5 (on this scale)
warnings:
- child abuse and neglect
- substance abuse
- vomit
- addiction
- parent death
summary: When Rebecca was growing up, Joy would drop her son Ethan off at her parents' house every time she went to rehab and pick him up again as soon as she could. Though Rebecca and Ethan grew close, he was always an addict's whim from getting pulled away again. Now, he's back after four years, including the time two years ago when Rebecca became paralyzed in the car accident that killed her father. While they both struggle with Ethan's departures, they're trying to get to know each other again.
tropes:
- abused/abandoned child
- car accident
- friends-to-more-than-friends
- love triangle
- fun mentor character
- loving grandparents
- the absent parent is the wanted one
what I liked:
- They both have to work through a lot before they can be there for each other.
- They don't shy away from talking about hard things.
what I didn’t like:
- I don't have much to put here. I enjoyed this book. When I started reading it, I had forgotten that it's YA, but once I remembered that, I was all-in.
overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)