Rating: 5 out of 5

Genre: 5 Stars, Contemporary, YA

People who should read this: If you love a feel good story with tons of heart, witty dialogue, and a good twist. 

*I was given a copy of this book to leave an honest review*

Don’t mind me here. I’ve just got something in my eye.

It takes a lot for a book to make me cry. There’s only been a handful and now this one has made the cut. I read the last word bawling, all the emotions spilling out in an ugly fashion. 

And that last word. Why couldn’t there have just been like ten more? Just a tinsy tiny bit more. Leaving it there is like a knife in the chest. Oh well… what can I do about it?

The How & The Why is the book I didn’t know I was looking for. Hands bases a lot of it on her own experiences searching for her birth mother. It’s easy to tell, the ideas and feelings feel well flushed out and researched. But unlike Hand’s real search, this is the fairytale she wishes could happen. A great fairytale whether you’ve been adopted or not and with the best twist at the end. The kind that I’ve always dreamt would happen. Even with all the flashing lights, I was so caught up in the story that I entirely missed all the warnings that it was coming.

Ok... I want to say more, but I won’t give the plot away. 

Most of the time I struggle to read YA contemporary books. They feel watered down… it’s probably just me being on the right side of 18. Well on the right side of 18. However, The How & The Why never felt that way to me. The writing was on point. For that reason alone, I’m dying to read Hand’s other work. Her dialogue was funny without even trying. Somehow she was able to paint clear pictures of her world, making my mind queue what was needed, with very little descriptions. It felt like a magic trick.

I’m taking notes for my own writing. 

I’m also quickly recommending it to all of my friends. *queue meme* - shut up and take my book. 

The idea of including the letters throughout the story was perfect. It’s not original but it was well paired with the overall arc. It makes it very apparent that Cass will get the letters in the end, but that isn’t the main point of the story. There’s so much going on that the book could have easily drowned in it all. It stayed afloat though. Not even going under a little. Actually, I was worried about it being too slow, especially in the end when everything was wrapped up except for her finding her birth mom. But at that exact moment the horses started running again and the reader was whisked off. 

But I keep coming back to Hand’s highest achievement - those tiny little details. Those little jigsaw pieces are still haunting me, making me think about them long after I’ve finished the book. Reread anyone? 

Even though I wasn’t adopted, I found a lot of things relatable in the story. But mostly it felt like a real life fairytale. Cass’s journey covers, family, her search, and her friends. Why isn’t this book listed on the Good Reads Choice awards? I need to go and nominate it right now.

Happy Reading

Love Kait

Reading Challenge: 93/100