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Book Review of Since You've Been Gone

Since You've Been Gone
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Summary:
Iris's family has been torn apart. Her mom left and her dad doesn't seem to be handling things really well. Her brother has become withdrawn and she is left taking care of everything. She's feeling lonely when all of a sudden a family of gypsies moves into the area illegally. She secretly gets to know Trick, a boy from that family, but when things get to be a little more, she discovers that her father is trying to get them evicted.

My thoughts:
This is a story that investigates several large subjects. It deals with grief, abandonment, role reversal of a child taking care of the family, and prejudices. Honestly, it was way more than I expected. Iris is a well developed character that makes you love her. There are times where I teared up, but others where I chuckled here or there. The relationship between Iris and trick is slow to develop. It grows from a friendship into more, which I appreciated. I liked how everything took time but did not feel like it was slow. This really is a compelling read that I would highly recommend.