Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

Goodreads Summary: "You know, I always thought I told you everything, but there are some things I should have said but never did. I should have told you about the time I lost your new sunglasses. I know you really liked them. I should have apologized the time I ruined your brand-new skirt, the one with the beading. I should have apologized for a lot of stuff. 


I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.

It's been seventy five days. Amy's sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her, and she's really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia's gone, and Amy doesn't want to talk about it. No one knew Julia like she did. No one gets what life is without her.

No one understands what it's like to know that it's all your fault.

Amy's shrink thinks she should keep a journal but instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia. As she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past holds its own secrets--and that the present deserves a chance."

Review:  I've heard that Elizabeth Scott is a YA staple, as it were, so I decided that I needed to read one of her books, seeing as how I'd never even heard of her before I started this blog. It was... huh.

During this big thing in Texas, one of the things I heard about this particular type of YA is that it helps people, specifically teens who are going through similar situations. I can see that. While I haven't been in most of Amy's specific situations (being a squeaky-clean Mormon girl doesn't generally lend itself to alcohol problems or unsupervised teenage-drinking type parties), there were themes I could relate to. Guilt. Learning that the hero you have on a pedestal isn't necessarily perfect. Dealing with parents.

However, a lot of the Big Issues (alcohol/drug use, teenage sex, abusive friends) are stuff I never did have to deal with as a teen, and it just... wasn't something I could relate to. Instead of being therapeutic, it felt a little more like voyeurism, if you will.

In a sentence, the book was well executed, but not my cup of tea.

Goodreads Shelves: is-this-a-kissing-book, pretentious, thought-provoking

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