The main characters are particularly well developed, and the reader gets better acquainted with the secondary characters as the story progresses, but I feel the narrative definitely could have shown more of the characters' inner struggles. This could be good for younger readers, but mature young adults might find it lacks the complexity of thought and confusion that often plagues a teenager's mind when struggling with major family and friend conflicts. Books allow authors to pour immense creativity into them so all five senses can be explored in quite a lot of detail, and I picked up on very little sensory and imagery beyond insertion of basic adjectives. In contrast, this felt more like I was reading a "movie." The novel, however, does a great job of focusing on Erin’s doubts about her mother, giving it an “I, too, understand how it is” element. It would be great to have seen more of that emotional depth throughout the plot line.