Review of Willow

My review of Willow by Julia Hoban is based on a paperback copy of the book that I borrowed from my local library. The following review is my honest opinion of the work.

Goodreads Summary: "Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen-year- old Willow's parents drank too much wine and asked her to drive them home. They never made it - Willow lost control of the car and her parents died in the accident. Now she has left behind her old home, friends, and school, and blocks the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when Willow meets Guy, a boy as sensitive and complicated as she is, she begins an intense, life-changing relationship that turns her world upside down.

Told in an arresting, fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl's struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy's refusal to give up on her."

I could relate to Willow’s dilemma with having lost her parents as I had lost my Father so her reactions didn’t seem as outrageous to me. I could understand her character despite the fact that I was never a cutter myself. I felt as though I could relate to the emotional turmoil that she suffered through.

I really loved Guy. He’s exactly the kind of guy that I always dreamed would come and save me from myself. He’s an amazing character who while being a knight in shining armor still manages to come across as a normal teen. In so many of the books where one of the main characters, particularily if it’s a female, is dealing with a rough issue the guy miraculously is not only able to cope with the trauma but save her from it as well. Guy wasn’t like this. You could tell that he was seriously struggling with what Willow was dealing with. He was torn between his own feelings and wanting to help her. He seemed so real to me.

The way that Willow is written it reminds me of the older young adult books I used to read; particularly those of Judy Blume in style at least. I'm giving Willow by Julia Hoban a four out of five stars review.