Love You Hate You Miss You

By: Elizabeth Scott

Narrated by: Tracy Pfau

Get this, I'm supposed to be starting a journal about ""my journey."" Please. I can see it now: Dear Diary, As I'm set adrift on this crazy sea called ""life"" . . . I don't think so.

It's been seventy-five days. Amy's sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her.

And she's really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia's gone now, and she doesn't want to talk about it. They wouldn't get it, anyway. They wouldn't understand what it feels like to have your best friend ripped away from you.

They wouldn't understand what it feels like to know it's your fault.

Amy's shrink thinks it would help to start a diary. Instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia.

But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it was—and the present deserves a chance too.

Excellent

Grade: A

Amy gets out of rehab 75 days after she killed her best friend Julia. Now instead of being detached, her parents are super interested in everything she does, but Amy isn't buying their faux concern. Her therapist clicks her pen annoyingly and even worse, she recommended Amy for all honors courses instead of the slacker classes she's always taken. Then there are the whispers from the other kids, former friends and some new friends who are trying to befriend her. But, Amy pushes everyone away. Because she murdered her best friend in a car accident. Even though she wasn't driving.

LOVE YOU, HATE YOU, MISS YOU grabbed me from the first page. In journal entries, Amy writes letters to Julia, other chapters are her first person narration. Elizabeth Scott gave Amy a unique, authentic voice, depressed, sarcastic and grieving. Amy was often hard to like but easy to sympathize with, as she shut people out, pushed them away and was downright rude. She had horrible communication skills. Her character is a common archetype in contemporary young adult fiction, and I thought her snail-paced turnaround could have been quicker and more pronounced in stages. The minor characters weren't as fleshed out or unique, nobody transcended stereotypes.

I thoroughly enjoyed Amy's journey and this novel and recommend contemporary YA fans who enjoy books about friends, grief, depression, substance abuse or family.