4.5 stars 
 I had heard a lot about this book after finishing 
 and had it on my TBR list for a while. Additionally, I loved 
 and was told there were some similarities in the main character. I'm really glad I finally decided to pick this one up. The book centers around Tom Mackee's family (he was a friend of Frankie's from Saving Francesca) and I liked him in that book,, especially his snarkiness. But the story is not really about Tom, specifically. It's about his family, and was very spatial (if I'm using the right terminology). The book was not about any one specific event or story, it was more about a time in this emotionally scarred family, Tom's family. 
 In the acknowledgments, Marchetta writes that Georgie, Tom's Aunt, is the one who initially spoke to her to write this story, and that Tom was a bit of an after thought. Therefore, the story loosely follows both of them. I loved the way Marchetta weaved the story from both Tom and Georgie's perspective (but in the 3rd person), telling their story over the last several years in clips and views of the past, what had led them both to where they are in the present - which is not a pretty place for either Tom or Georgie. 
 I was hesitant to learn that Tara Finke (with an "e", she hates when you leave that out ;) was Tom's "love" interest in this book. I really didn't like Tara in Saving Francesca, she seemed like a very angry, young feminist, and I could not see any appeal that a guy would have for her. But, the way that the story is told through Tom's eyes, I see it, I understand it, and I love it. 
 This book gets 4 to 4.5 stars from me. Marchetta is a brilliant writer. Her writing and prose are where the story lies.