Description
Everyone has scars. Some are just easier to see... 16-year-old Ava Gardener is heading back to school one year after a house fire left her severely disfigured. She's used to the names, the stares, the discomfort, but there's one name she hates most of all: Survivor. What do you call someone who didn't mean to survive? Who sometimes wishes she hadn't?
When she meets a fellow survivor named Piper at therapy, Ava begins to feel like she's not facing the nightmare alone. Piper helps Ava reclaim the pieces of Ava Before the Fire, a normal girl who kissed boys and sang on stage. But Piper is fighting her own battle for survival, and when Ava almost loses her best friend, she must decide if the new normal she's chasing has more to do with the girl in the glass - or the people by her side.
The beautiful, life-affirming debut from Erin Stewart that's being called the YA answer to Wonder. Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Nicola Yoon and John Green.
Review
When a faulty electrical wire causes Ava’s house to burn to the ground, she loses both her parents and her cousin Sara, who was also her best friend. She is the only one to survive the fire, but she has terrible scarring.
Twelve months later Ava is living with her aunt and uncle who have been by her side every second since the fire. All three are grieving the loss of their family, and now it’s time for Ava to go back to school. Ava is dreading this, and then she meets Piper. Piper is also an accident victim and is fighting her own battles, but can they each learn to let other people in?
This is a beautifully written book about learning to accept yourself and a new ‘normal’ when everything in your life is difficult. You will fall in love with Ava and Piper and, though very few of us have to suffer the horrible injuries they have, their struggles to fit in are incredibly relatable.
This book made me smile and cry more than once as their self doubt, pain, courage, friendship and family all collide at times.
Absolutely unputdownable, this book will stay in your heart long after you stop reading. This is a perfect read that will most appeal to girls in Year 9 and up.
Reviewed by Michelle
