3.5 Stars (rounding up)Everyone has his or her own severed head or broken heart. Their own personal tragedy that ultimately defines the path their life will take.For Ezra, it was one night that quickly turned from bad to worse after discovering his cheating girlfriend at a high school party which sent him running, and ended with his being the victim of a hit and run accident.In the aftermath, he's not sure where he belongs; who he is. Returning to school for his senior year is intimidating, and instead of being who he used to be: Student Body President, Tennis Team Captain and Golden Boy Extraordinaire, he's now the crippled kid with a limp who needs a cane to walk.What he realizes, though, is that he had a friend all along who didn't care about any of those titles Ezra thought mattered. His childhood best friend, Toby, whom, following a literal severed head during a Disneyland birthday party, he’d distanced himself from, comes back into his life. Bringing with him a new group of people, a new outlook on life, the debate team…and even the new girl in school.Cassidy.But Cassidy has a tragedy of her own, something she’s keeping under wraps. And as we all know, secrets never solve anyone’s problems…This book is a very real look at life’s tragedies, and how they can affect us both positively and negatively. It’s beautifully written, and will tug at your heart in all the ways that make it both swell with happiness and break with hurt. Be prepared to feel all the things. Happiness. Swoons. Love. Hate. Anger. And of course, sadness. Because that’s what life is...ups and downs and all arounds, as Ezra will learn first hand.In the end, I'm not sure if I loved this book or hated it. I'm kind of angry at some things that happened, even though I loved Ezra. I wanted more for him. I wanted to kick Cassidy's ass (and still do)... and I wanted to give him a new puppy, just saying. But it was a great ride with several laugh out loud moments, cute bantery relationship fun and playground makeout sessions. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a bit of a heavy read who doesn't mind angst.
