This book is about Sarah, a high school student who has received a full scholarship to Mills College for Girls. Her parents are eager to have her attend, but now she is thinking maybe she should go to UW. This all comes after her school gets a student teacher from UW – that Sarah has taken a liking to. Sarah believes that the teacher is into her too and since he is her poetry teacher, writes a poem declaring her feelings for him. As she is heading off to school and to the bus – after refusing a ride from her brother who would get her to school too late – she drops the note and as she heads back into the crosswalk to retrieve it a driver who is not paying attention hits her. She ends up airlifted to the hospital in need of immediate brain surgery.
Driving the car? Mr. Haddings – the student teacher!
The book alternates chapters between Sarah’s point of view in the hospital and Mr. Hadding’s point of view in the hospital waiting room, debating confronting Sarah’s family, etc. The book is only 3 days worth of their lives, but it seemed like so much had gone on.
SPOILER ALERT
Unfortunately, this is one of those books that I say “didn’t have an ending”. I mean, it ended, obviously because I’ve finished it and am writing this review – but I didn’t feel like it gave me any closure with the whole situation. I won’t go in to too much detail.
I really enjoyed this book, but would have liked it more if there was an ending I was more satisfied with. It was well written, a quick read, and I felt connected to all of the characters.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
About the Book
After receiving a full-ride scholarship to Mills College for Girls, it appears Sarah’s future is all laid out before her … that is until she walks into a poetry class led by Mr. Haddings, a student teacher from the nearby University of Washington. Suddenly, life on the UW campus seems very appealing, and Sarah finds herself using her poetry journal to subtly declare her feelings for Haddings. Convinced Mr. Haddings is flirting back, she sets off for school in the rain with a poem in her back pocket—one that will declare her feelings once and for all.
Mr. Haddings has noticed Sarah’s attention; the fallout from any perceived relationship with a student is too great a risk, and he has decided to end all speculation that morning.
But everything changes when Mr. Haddings feels a thud on his front bumper when he glances away from the road, and finds Sarah in the street with blood pooling beneath her.