I just went on an adventure by reading this book. Normally, this is the type of book that I push away and avoid at all costs. It was an emotional rollercoaster, it was difficult, it was raw, it was perfectly amazing. I found myself crying during normal dialogue. I was so consumed by Poppy and Rune's story that it had become reality at a certain point. It was like I was reading a friend's memoir and I couldn't help but feel the pain and hurt that they went through. There was multiple times that I considered stopping and not finishing it, but I continued on as so many recommendations for this books have come across Goodreads and multiple groups on FB. So I put on my helmet and went to war....yes, I declared war on this book. It was my Normandy, and I was going in come hell or high water. 
 I hated this book, I mean, really hated it. I was angry. I was mad. I kept thinking, what is the point of going through all this hurt, this pain for a STORY!?! WHY!?! I felt like this for about 90% of the book. That is not an exaggeration. But something kept pushing me to figure out the why. There were things that I didn't care for. I felt like this was a huge mash up of several books together. The Fault in our Stars, A Walk to Remember, and If I Stay kept coming to mind as I went through the chapters. I didn't like that this was YA, it didn't sit right with me. I didn't like that this was just about Poppy and Rune. I wanted more of Poppy's family involved in this story. But now looking back this book couldn't have been any other way. It had to be YA, it had to be Poppy and Rune, all the events that happened, happened because it was meant to be that way and only that way. 
 If you know anything about the meat of this story, you may think that Poppy and Rune's story is what would break you down. That wasn't the case for me. What broke me was Rune's relationship with his Dad. Every time I thought back to what transpired between them and what laid ahead, I immediately teared up. I would say that was the cause of at least half of my tears in this book. It was beautiful. 
 So what changed my mind from hating this book 90% of the way through to pure elation? 4 pages. That's all it took. In 4 pages Tillie Cole will change how you look at this book, how you look at the world. 
 Many people are avoiding labeling this book as a HEA, and I get that. I'm taking the plunge and saying, YES. Yes this is a HEA. It's a difficult HEA. It's a inspiring HEA. It's a real HEA. It's Poppy and Rune's HEA. 
 I didn't rate this book. It's unratable. I can't say that it was good or bad, it was necessary. It was bad for my heart and good for my soul. I can't measure it by stars or words, it could never do it justice.