“Filled with bumbling characters who achingly love each other, this coming-of-age tale rises above a crowded field to take readers on a moving journey of discovery.” — Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
“Johnston has crafted a beautifully written, low-key, yet emotional story of a family dealing with the return of a son at the close of war. Jamie is wracked with survivor’s guilt…. His letters to Rachel … are painfully realistic, the antithesis of the glamour that teens too often assign to war….” — Starred Review, Booklist
“Johnston gives equal weight to struggles major and trivial as she sensitively examines the painful process of rebuilding one’s life under the most difficult of circumstances.” — Publishers Weekly
“…a believable, engaging story. The first-person, present-tense narration lends immediacy and Rachel speaks in a convincing adolescent voice…. Libraries will find this sympathetic novel a worthwhile purchase.” — VOYA