Once, I asked her why she wouldn’t look at me, why she wouldn’t talk to me. All she said was “Alice, when I get home from those things, I just wish I was invisible, so I pretend that I am.” Ruby's mother was a prostitute who left Ruby to fend for herself, and the only way Ruby CAN fend for herself day to day, is to steal to put food on the table. The characters and plot were great! Bree had depth, complicated feelings, and flaws, and the MMCs were from such different times that their personalities were great to read and get to know! In saying this, with so many different avenues to explore, the book felt a little short in its explanations, like some parts were rushed and others were focused on too much. I also think

Can their friendship survive the hardship and sorrow that befalls them? Is their’s a story that can overcome all the barriers that are in their way?

Opening Sentence: When I saw my sister in that hospital bed, she was different from how I remembered her. She’d changed her hair. Her cheeks were leaner. And someone had tried to cave in the side of her head with a baseball bat. Passando ad altri personaggi banali, vediamo le Queen bees del liceo, le cattivone, con Alice che ci dovrebbe piacere perché lei era costretta a essere cattiva, ma al tempo stesso non ha mai chiesto scusa e anche da adulta continua a essere mezza sottomessa alla cattivona del liceo. Boh. Almost all the characters are written equally well, DC Collet & his wife Becca & their troubles. The DCI Tamara Greave, her partner David & her relationship with her parents. The new DC Danny & PC Marshall (aka Sheriff) all have their part to play. Much of the story in this book is taken up with the investigation with Eric Collet & Cassie doing much of the heavy lifting. Throughout the characters personalities are maintained & they react as their personality dictates they should, whilst going about the daily life of a police station during a serious crime investigation. This is almost like a soap that you become completely immerse in & want to know what happens next. But then, a plot twist. Six months later I was able to hire Kelly as a writer on Dead to Me. Working side by side with my best friend was one of the true highlights of making the show. Kelly and I are still holding on to the hope that we’ll get to raise our babies together. For now, we get to enjoy the fruits of a different kind of labor: a newborn show about grief, loss, and the power of a good friendship.

The girls hit it off immediately despite their differences - and so begins a special friendship that will go through much terror and turmoil before the book reaches its conclusion, not least, a complete reversal of circumstances for both of them. She’s face-timing her Dad, all upset about a health issue of his, how it’s going to affect her, how much she will miss him, and on and on (since the majority is about her, not feeling for her too much). She says she has to go, he’s trying to say I love you, she hangs up in the middle, with ‘bye Dad’. When Ruby and Verity first meet up, little do they know of the ties that will hold them together. Verity is the daughter of a wealthy household, a young lady in every way, with poise and manners that quite belies her young age. Yet Verity is not happy and there is a loneliness that she carries in her heart that is apparent from the opening chapters. I loved it. Quotes like this one made me feel equal parts cringe & comedy. "There's a bald friar in my britches...eager to make his prayers at the altar between her thighs."When war engulfs the country - sending Ruby to Devon while Verity struggles to find a new beginning under a shadow from her past - the girls are convinced they will always be there for each other.