I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

If you're a long time Cool Kids Read reader you'll know I tend to get into patterns of reading: whether that's horror, post-apocalyptic, zombies... well right now it is apparently a line up of books designed to rip my heart right out of my body and stomp it into a mushy pulp.

I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson is so much this kind of book. I fell completely in love with the characters, obsessed over the story and hated to see it end.

Twins Jude and Noah grow up incredibly close, but something happened to drive them apart. Nelson doles out this backstory in tasty chunks, alternating between age 13 and 16, but this jumping around never feels jarring as Noah takes us through the pre-teen years and Jude the present.

Each telling half the story is part of the story, as the twins need to know what happened to the other in order to find themselves and each other again. As they explore their love for art, boys, Northern California, their parents, and their friends, the twins' stories intertwine in a poetic, lyrical way that hooks you — unwinding gently to the satisfying end. One of my favorite books of last year, hands down. It's real in is magical qualities and magical in how it approaches the real teen experience. A unique combination to be sure, but Nelson pulls it off in spades. A must-read for any reader, 14 and up.