Lovin' los libros

Miss Me Not
   by: Tiffany King

Publication Date: Nov. 23, 2012
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review
Page Count: 316 pages
Order Links: Amazon
My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review:

Oh, wow. I knew this book would be an emotional one just by reading the synopsis, but I really had no idea just how much it would affect me. I absolutely fell in love with Tiffany's writing after reading No Attachments and after that I immediately purchased some of her other books. She is not afraid to tackle tough issues and I love that she handles them with such grace. Miss Me Not is no exception. Being someone who works with teenagers every day, teen suicide is not something to be taken lightly. It is very real and present, even when you may not think it is. Reading about Madison was absolutely heartbreaking at times, but I feel Tiffany did an excellent job of conveying to us readers just how deep her despair went.

I really liked Madison's character. I ached for her and felt my heart breaking for her, but most of all- I wanted to see her be happy. We have a very broken girl who feels that no one would care at all if she were to end her life. She sees it as being an out from the misery her life holds- she has spent the last few years trying to make herself nonexistent and the only person that remotely understands her is her friend James, with whom she made a pact: they would both commit suicide together. The story begins with Madison's' plan shattered, as another student beats them to it. She looks around and see her classmates grieving for a boy they paid no attention to and she realizes she doesn't want that. She doesn't want to be mourned or grieved for. She wants to slip away as unnoticed as she does in the halls every day. Then, Madison's life is turned upside down once she meets Dean Jackson.

Dean. Jackson. Holy crap, everyone. This boy is absolutely the ultimate. The light at the end of the tunnel. The shining beacon of hope. He is assigned to tutor Madison and he slowly starts to chip away at her defenses. He recognizes a need in her to connect and he begins by simply showing interest in spending time with her. By spending time with Dean, she sees the goodness in him and he slowly gets her to trust him. He is able to do it so subtlety too. He doesn't push her too fast or far. She tells him she doesn't need anyone to save her and he agrees- telling her he just wants to be friends with her. She is worried about what his friends will think about him spending time with her and he honestly doesn't care. He simply tells her that if they do have a problem with it, they weren't real friends to begin with. I loved that he never once gave up on her. She could say some hurtful things and lash out at him, but he stood strong and wouldn't let her push him away.

"Watching his retreating back, I suddenly understood his ploy. He was slowly accustoming my body to his touch, much like how he had accustomed my mind to his subtle probing questions over the last three weeks. He was earning my trust an inch at a time."

Their relationship is incredibly sweet. It's not rushed at all. Dean knows he has to earn her trust and slowly tear down the walls she's thrown up to protect herself. He is able to build that friendship with her first and then slowly shows her he feels something more for her. Seriously, their scenes together had me squealing they were so precious.

Dean's family. OMG. Wow. They were so accepting and welcoming to Madison. My heart warmed watching them interact with one another and it really showed Madison that not all families are broken and as dismissive as hers.  Madison's home life is less than ideal- her mother is an obsessive churchgoer and her father left them years ago. Her mother is cold, unfeeling, distant and completely the opposite of Dean's mom, Sarah- who is warm, generous, and loving. Dean's mom really encouraged Madison and took her under her wing and really provided her a safe outlet to talk. It is actually to Sarah that Madison turns to after a horrific event leaves her reeling. I am so glad she felt comfortable enough to talk to her and open up and I think it was a monumental step for Madison to get her demons and skeletons off her chest.

Madison has spent so long craving and vying for attention from her parents. She would do anything to get them to pay attention to her. Even negative attention is better than none at all. Even at a young age, she does reckless things- gets hurt, destroys things. She just wants to be noticed and loved. Finally, her life is turned upside down when she receives attention. Too much attention. And her life spins out of control from that point on and whispers and rumors still float around school about her.

I won't lie. I was upset with Madison about how she treated James, her friend. I understand that Madison spending time with Dean was slowly healing her, but what about him? He was just as broken as her, with a horrible home life as well, and it just wasn't right that she stopped spending time with him, especially after the two leaned on one another for so long.

This book is a must read you guys. Seriously. Watching Madison evolve and start to see her own self-worth is a really beautiful thing. Finding love and discovering that her life can have so much meaning is even more beautiful. Tiffany really delivers a strong message of hope and healing; forgiveness and acceptance; and that love can make a world of difference.

"The amazing thing about love was that when you didn't have it, the world seemed impossible to use, but when you were surrounded by it, it was as easy as breathing."