Review: Me Since You by Laura Wiess

Me Since You by Laura Wiess
Publisher: MTV Books
Publication date: February 18th 2014
My rating: 4 stars

Are there any answers when someone you love makes a tragic choice? Before and After. That's how Rowan Areno sees her life now. Before: she was a normal sixteen-year-old--a little too sheltered by her police officer father and her mother. After: everything she once believed has been destroyed in the wake of a shattering tragedy, and every day is there to be survived. If she had known, on that Friday in March when she cut school, that a random stranger's shocking crime would have traumatic consequences, she never would have left campus. If the crime video never went viral, maybe she could have saved her mother, grandmother--and herself--from the endless replay of heartache and grief. Finding a soul mate in Eli, a witness to the crime who is haunted by losses of his own, Rowan begins to see there is no simple, straightforward path to healing wounded hearts. Can she learn to trust, hope, and believe in happiness again?

“I will never understand how life can rip your heart 
out with one hand and then give you a small, 
warm piece of it back with the other? 
How can something so good come from something 
so terrible?” 

Sometimes trying a new book by an author that you’ve never tried before can be daunting. But by just reading the first few pages of Me Since You, I knew I would love this book and would read anything written by Wiess right away. Wiess captured the grief that Rowan and her family had to go through really well. Not only that but how people reacted differently when they had to deal with unexpected grief. 

Rowan’s father had been a police officer for the last twenty years, he’d had his fair share of tough cases to deal with, but had learned to cope with consequences and move onto the next situation well. But the situation he found himself and the backlash that he had to deal with ended up being way too much to deal with. Not only did it have an impact on his career, his way of thinking, but also his family’s life in a major way. It was hard seeing a man, who had such a reputable reputation and such a strong person become a fraction of the man that he used to be right before his family’s eyes. Rowan and her mum were constantly there for him, but sometimes this is never enough. 

And so the next few weeks were really trying for Rowan and her mother. First of all after everything which happened it was so unexpected, Rowan had several important questions, (highlight to view spoiler) her dad had just ended his life with no explanation whatsoever they knew that the lives he wasn’t able to save, had hit him really hard, but they thought things were getting better. And on top of this Rowan did blame herself for the escalation of events, if only she hadn’t skipped school, would her dad have even been the first one to attend the scene? It was really tough watching Rowan go through this difficult period, (highlight to view spoiler) she really wanted her dad back, but knew that wasn’t possible, so the next best thing could have been some sort of letter, some sort of explanation as to why. It wouldn’t solve everything, but it would give Rowan and her mum that step to move forward with their lives.

There isn’t really one singular path to follow when dealing with grief, but having a strong support network can make a big difference. And with people dealing with grief in different ways, it is important this support is there in the sidelines, not being so overwhelming, but also ready to step in wherever possible. This is where Rowan lucked out in some ways and was dealt a bad card in another. Rowan’s grandparents were the sweetest, although we didn’t get to see much of them, they really held Rowan and her mum together. They let them do their own thing for as long as they needed to, but also were there to put their foot down when it was necessary. Whereas Rowan’s supposed best friend, don’t even let me get started on her, it’s usually major life events, which really go on to show you who your true friends are and Rowan was seriously better off without her. 

Me Since You was a gorgeously written story, despite the story focusing on a really heartbreaking aspect, the story wasn’t bleak at all, and I enjoyed watching Rowan slowly picking herself up and find her place in the world, when a big part of her was missing. Wiess was also able to weave some small “ray of sunshine” moments which were quick to bring a glowy feel good feeling. Overall Me Since You really impressed me much more than I was expecting that I cannot wait to read more of Wiess’s books.