Marie Marquardt

I received an e-arc of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

I was very surprised by this book. I requested it on NetGalley because the premise intrigued me, but at the same time I was scared that the Great Themes Mentioned in the Blurb would just fall flat in yet another YA romance with very little substance. Boy, was I wrong! Love is definitely a big theme in the book, but it goes so much further than merely instalove.

Gretchen and Phoenix have both been victims of trauma, even though their situations at first could not seem more different one from the other: Gretchen is the typical good girl from a nice American family; Phoenix is an asylum seeker, labelled illegal, fleeing from a situation so terrible even he has trouble talking about. What saves both of them is indeed love: the one they slowly develop for one another; Phoenix's love for his little brother, Ari; the love of their families and friends for these two survivors; and the love each of them reignites for himself. There are many layers to this story, many ways in which it can be read and appreciated. I'm sure that when I'll read this book again I'll discover so many more new themes that will leave me thinking.

This time, I particularly enjoyed the fact that the author decided to dedicate a book to surviving trauma, to mental health and panic attacks and how disruptive they can be. I loved that fact that she shed a light on a topical issue such as that of immigration and asylum. These are the real issues we are faced with everyday, yet we know remarkably little about. It is all too easy to fear what is "different", what looks strange and new, without ever bothering to understand what lies beneath. It is up to authors like Marie Marquardt to turn on the lights and confront these issues head on.

All of this, coupled with an excellent writing style and lovable, well-developed characters, makes The Radius of Us a very pleasant surprise indeed. Highly recommended.

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