****4.5 stars**** 
 This book grabbed me from the very first sentence and didn't let go until the very end. First and foremost, the prose is beautiful. Ms. Mafi takes the seemingly simple, and makes it exquisite. I, for one, will never look at a raindrop the same way again! Being inside Juliette's thoughts, both those she wants to share and those that she tries hard not to, was an emotionally intense experience and the writing style added a vividness to Juliette's thoughts that I have not seen in any book in recent memory. 
 There are many things to love about this book. The biggest for me is the characters, especially Juliette and Adam. Here are two people who have been broken and beaten by life. By all rights they should be bitter and defeated. Instead, they have somehow held on to their hearts, their goodness, their kindness and their ability to love. To me that's what makes them great heroes and what makes this book an adventure that you want to experience. 
 So...why not 5 stars then, you may be asking. Well, there is one aspect of the book that, although very well written and full of possibilities, didn't give me what I was longing for. As a reader, I'm a bit of a dreamer. I love the thought of "us against the world", the struggle of the underdog, fighting those who have wronged the little guy using only your wit and internal fortitude. Although I'm sure I'll get that passionate battle in the next book, it will be undertaken by a cast much larger than I imagined, in a way that is not as gritty as I wanted. If you have read the book this will (hopefully) makes sense. For those who have not...maybe it's enough to peak your interest. 
 Bottom line...go read this book! Bask in the beauty of the words, fall in love with the characters and then sit and anxiously await the next book...because that's what I'm doing right now!