**In the wake of the post-9/11 sniper shootings, fragile love finds a stronghold in this intense, romantic novel from the author of *Break* and *Invincible Summer*.**
It's a year after 9/11. Sniper shootings throughout the D.C. area have everyone on edge and trying to make sense of these random acts of violence. Meanwhile, Craig and Lio are just trying to make sense of their lives.
Craig’s crushing on quiet, distant Lio, and preoccupied with what it meant when Lio kissed him...and if he’ll do it again...and if kissing Lio will help him finally get over his ex-boyfriend, Cody.
Lio feels most alive when he's with Craig. He forgets about his broken family, his dead brother, and the messed up world. But being with Craig means being vulnerable...and Lio will have to decide whether love is worth the risk.
This intense, romantic novel from the author of *Break* and *Invincible Summer* is a poignant look at what it is to feel needed, connected, and alive.
**
### From Booklist
Fifteen-year-old Craig is nowhere close to over his (maybe) ex-boyfriend when a brooding kid with a head of multicolored hair, Lio, transfers to his school. Craig is an emotional motormouth; Lio is a cancer survivor with a twin brother who didn’t make it; and their budding relationship is already complicated before the 2002 Beltway Sniper begins terrorizing the D.C. area in which they live. There is trauma to spare in this novel, but Moskowitz, as usual, imbues her prose with a dreamy quality that makes every off moment feel monumental, even when it comes at the expense of realism. Despite featuring the very real sniper attacks of 2002, this is as amorphous as the author’s Invincible Summer (2011)—not necessarily a bad thing for those inclined to float along with the lullaby rhythm. The theme of the randomness of tragedy (literalized here by 9/11, the sniper, cancer, and Craig’s 14 lost pets) is particularly well-handled. Moskowitz is firmly within her comfort zone here; it’ll be fascinating to see what happens when she breaks out. Grades 8-12. --Daniel Kraus
### Review
“Written with depth and heart and a quirky sweetness that I just adore. These are characters I will never forget. Fans of *Will Grayson, Will Grayson *will love this book.” –Amy Reed, author of *Beautiful *and *Clean*
Description:
**In the wake of the post-9/11 sniper shootings, fragile love finds a stronghold in this intense, romantic novel from the author of *Break* and *Invincible Summer*.** It's a year after 9/11. Sniper shootings throughout the D.C. area have everyone on edge and trying to make sense of these random acts of violence. Meanwhile, Craig and Lio are just trying to make sense of their lives. Craig’s crushing on quiet, distant Lio, and preoccupied with what it meant when Lio kissed him...and if he’ll do it again...and if kissing Lio will help him finally get over his ex-boyfriend, Cody. Lio feels most alive when he's with Craig. He forgets about his broken family, his dead brother, and the messed up world. But being with Craig means being vulnerable...and Lio will have to decide whether love is worth the risk. This intense, romantic novel from the author of *Break* and *Invincible Summer* is a poignant look at what it is to feel needed, connected, and alive. ** ### From Booklist Fifteen-year-old Craig is nowhere close to over his (maybe) ex-boyfriend when a brooding kid with a head of multicolored hair, Lio, transfers to his school. Craig is an emotional motormouth; Lio is a cancer survivor with a twin brother who didn’t make it; and their budding relationship is already complicated before the 2002 Beltway Sniper begins terrorizing the D.C. area in which they live. There is trauma to spare in this novel, but Moskowitz, as usual, imbues her prose with a dreamy quality that makes every off moment feel monumental, even when it comes at the expense of realism. Despite featuring the very real sniper attacks of 2002, this is as amorphous as the author’s Invincible Summer (2011)—not necessarily a bad thing for those inclined to float along with the lullaby rhythm. The theme of the randomness of tragedy (literalized here by 9/11, the sniper, cancer, and Craig’s 14 lost pets) is particularly well-handled. Moskowitz is firmly within her comfort zone here; it’ll be fascinating to see what happens when she breaks out. Grades 8-12. --Daniel Kraus ### Review “Written with depth and heart and a quirky sweetness that I just adore. These are characters I will never forget. Fans of *Will Grayson, Will Grayson *will love this book.” –Amy Reed, author of *Beautiful *and *Clean*