Finally Friday {7}: We'll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean

Finally Friday is a meme started by me (Jessica, aka @coffeelvnmom) and J from @life_love_fandoms. This week's I-finally-read-this-waiting-on-Wednesday-book is: WE'LL NEVER BE APART.

4.5 stars 

We'll Never Be Apart is a haunting read taking you into the lives of twins stuck in the foster system after surviving a horrific event in their young lives. It's graphic. It's disturbing. It's raw. And, though I never thought I'd use this word for WNBA, it's surprising.

We'll Never Be Apart begins with one twin (Cellie) telling her story about revenge: what she did to her sister, and how much she enjoyed it. By the end of that first chapter, you're pulled in and wanting to know more due to the sickening way Cellie's mind works. What had Alice done that was worth doing that? Why would someone want to hurt her own sister the way she did?

When the book takes off, however, it's never again in Cellie's point of view. Instead, Emiko Jean takes you through the story via the other twin, Alice's, viewpoint. Stuck in a "treatment facility" (read: mental ward), Alice is adamant that she had nothing to do with the horrible things that went down, only her sister, Cellie. Her therapist tells her it's pertinent that she get better, and offers her a journal to write things down, come to terms with what's gone on, and so on.

And... this is where some of the most haunting things come in. As Alice retells her life with Cellie from approximately four years old and on in her journal, you begin to understand why Cellie is the way she is; why Alice, though unable to understand Cellie's twisted ways, protects her regardless of the things she does; and what brought them to this horrible point where they are both being charged with murder.

Along with the stories of their past and getting to know Jason, Alice's now dead boyfriend, Emiko Jean introduces various foster parents/homes and fellow patients at the mental ward, including one Alice befriends and another who helps Alice see things in a new light.

Nothing you read is as it seems. Everything is laid out to give you little tidbits of the story, but the further in you go, the more everything connects. I don't really want to say too much more because of potential spoilers, but I will say this: by the time you reach the end of We'll Never Be Apart, you will be left completely beside yourself. Ms. Jean flips everything on its head and the true meaning of the title smacks you right in the forehead.

This may not seem like a book for everyone (and it's certainly not something I'd normally pick up), but I highly recommend stepping out of the box and checking WNBA out, even if it isn't your usual cup of tea. I believe the best books are the ones that stick with you, poke at you after you've finished them. Mess with your head. WNBA is definitely one of those, and I'm glad that I read it.

Note: I'd say this is upper YA due to language and adult situations.

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