Where to start...this book was emotionally draining. Hoover does an incredible job of painting a tale of abuse that feels real. A lot of times, I felt I was experiencing all of the confusion Sloan does. Because being in an abusive relationship doesn't mean there aren't good times, and experiencing Asa's many personalities made me understand the confusion Sloan would have gone through. Coupled with details about Asa's very twisted childhood, it's easy to waver from wanting to kill Asa and seeing his as a danger, to seeing him as a vulnerable boy, and a victim of abuse himself. 
 There's a danger in stories like this of simplifying the characters, painting one as a victim and another as a tyrant. I thought Hoover did a great job of avoiding this. Sloan certainly has a lot of issues of her own. The characters felt very well developed, Asa especially, felt incredibly real to me. It's frustrating to hear some people ask why Sloan couldn't just make her own money, or run away, or whatever. She was a victim of every kind of abuse, physical, emotional, sexual, psychological. Even if she had the financial means to literally get away, there is so much more that would have held her back. It's a blessing to not be able to understand how debilitating that is, but I hope people show more compassion to victims of abuse in the real world. 
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