Willow by Julia Hoban

Willow's life has been turned upside down. Her parents have both been killed in a car accident, in the vehicle that Willow was driving. Now she has to live with her brother, sister-in-law, and baby niece. Blaming herself for her parents' deaths, Willow turns to cutting as a way to save herself from feeling any emotional pain. But when she meets Guy, he shows Willow that it's okay to feel grief and that she's strong enough to survive it.

I loved this book. It was such a great story, about a girl who tries not to feel any emotion at all and the boy who shows her how to. Of course I disapproved of Willow cutting herself and thought that she should have told someone who could help her, namely her brother. But even though Willow continually hurt herself, Julia Hoban did such a great job explaining Willow's emotions and reasoning behind her self-mutilation. I could actually begin to understand why someone who do that to themselves. I was so happy watching Willow come out of her shell and open up to Guy. This book was full of character development. We got to see a lot of different characters progress and change throughout the story: Willow, her brother David, and even Guy. And speaking of Guy, he was like the perfect boyfriend. He knew just what to say to make Willow feel better and he was the one to help her through this tough time - mainly by showing her that she is strong enough to withstand grief. In the end, Willow was a wonderful novel of healing, one that everyone can enjoy.

9 out of 10.