I've always been a sucker for emotional development over plot. I love Studio Ghibli movies for this reason, they're a lot slower and more in depth and you truly get to know the characters. This book has a very similar vibe to it.
Marin has been running since summer. It wasn't something she used to do. In California, Marin drifted through life with her grandfather, her best friend Mabel, and a faded, hazy memory of her mother. But sometimes things get blown out of the water, and the only thing you can think to do in the wake is run.
That's how Marin ended up alone over Christmas break in a college dorm, watching the stars and snow fall, dreading the arrival of Mabel, knowing that when she comes she will have to look at everything she's left behind, everything she never wanted to look at again.
But maybe that's the right thing to do?
This book was absolutely devastating in the best way possible. The descriptions of Marin's life, both alone in New York and back home in California had me in tears multiple times. All the mundane details are beautifully described, making every moment painfully and powerfully real. My only, very, very small complaint was the ending. It's undoubtedly a good ending for the story, but it didn't feel as satisfying as I had hoped it would. That being said, this book is still absolutely worth the read, and I would recommend a big box of tissues to go along with it.