* "Woodson crafts a story of powerful emotional intensity through her poignant portrayal of a young woman lost and in pain. The depiction of small-town life, with its Dollar Store, Wal-Mart and limited economic opportunities adds texture and authenticity. This is beautifully written, with clear prose that honors the story it tells. . . . Most of all, it is populated with fully realized characters who struggle to make sense of tragedy. . . . A moving, honest and hopeful story."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review * "Dreamlike story . . . peppered with the voices of expertly sketched characters and rich with writerly observations. . . . Woodson maintains tension throughout, making it abundantly clear how easy it is to succumb to meth and how difficult it is to recover from it."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review * "Powerful, stripped-down novel. . . . Full of rich, sensory images . . . giving the story a dreamlike quality. . . . A natural choice for fans of
Go Ask Alice or Ellen Hopkins's
Crank. An outstanding novel that succeeds on every level."
--School Library Journal, starred review "Woodson takes us on the dark journey of addiction, mimicking the slow, hazy spell of drug use with the lull of her poetic prose. . . . Laurel's descent is brutally honest. . . . An intimate and compelling story of survival."--
The Horn Book "As accurate as it is heartbreaking; readers will be deeply moved . . . they'll sympathize with [Laurel's] desire to find some way to feel better. . . . Readers looking to understand the attraction of a destructive substance will get a glimmer of understanding."--
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Will not disappoint readers. . . . Ends on a hopeful note: perhaps it is possible to write pain 'into the past and leave some of it there, ' and reimagine a future."--
Booklist
