Willow
Julia Hoban
Release Date: April 2, 2009
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 329

Rating: 5 stars

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy—one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.
Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her.

With her debut novel, Julia Hoban blows away readers with a gripping story full of emotion, truth, and what could be real life experiences. Willow blames herself for the accident that happened months ago, and expresses and releases the guilt she feels through cutting herself.

Willow is written in 3rd person, and at first it distracted me from the book. But after a few chapters, it made the story so much more raw and emotional and definately suited the book. It made the writing almost detached, and Willow is dealing with so many emotions and so detached herself.

The first page Guy walked into the story, you could feel the romance that would happen between Guy and Willow. The journey and build up to that romance was so sweet, open, and honest. Guy was such a well-rounded character. The fact he cares about Willow and what she’s doing to herself, all the while taking action to help her was great. I can relate to some of his emotions he felt towards Willow in regards to her cutting herself, as one of my best friends took up the same escape. I don’t think a lot of people realize the seriousness of the issue. As a narrator, Willow was interesting. Hearing her story and emotions she feels toward everything was really enlightening. Julia Hoban nails what I’d assume the emotions that would be going through a sixteen year old’s head in that situation.

The end was so sweet. It’s not exactly what readers are thinking will happen. This was a book I was addicted to, especially needing to know how it would end.

While Willow by Julia Hoban deals with such a intense plot, it’s not depressing. It’s full of hope that Guy expresses towards Willow and helping her through that point in her life. I cannot wait to see what Julia Hoban comes up with next.