BOOK REVIEW: Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen

This is a book review for Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen. 

Mira is just beginning her senior year of high school when she discovers her father with his male lover. Her world–and everything she thought she knew about her family–is shattered instantly. Unable to comprehend the lies, betrayal, and secrets that–unbeknownst to Mira–have come to define and keep intact her family’s existence, Mira distances herself from her sister and closest friends as a means of coping. But her father’s sexual orientation isn’t all he's kept hidden. A shocking health scare brings to light his battle with HIV. As Mira struggles to make sense of the many fractures in her family's fabric and redefine her wavering sense of self, she must find a way to reconnect with her dad–while there is still time.

"A month:
the time it takes 
a season to change,
less than half the summer,
the time it takes a baby
to learn day from night.

It's taken less time than that
for my life to
break."

I am going to try my best to write a coherent review that isn't a bunch of fangirl gibberish. But I can't make any promises. I have been waiting for this book all year. This book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2015 and I am so happy that it did not disappoint. This book was amazingly flawless. I really cannot think of a single bad thing about it. 

When I first heard about this book, I didn't realize it was written in verse. I am not typically a fan of books written in verse. Sometimes the writing style can make me feel a bit disconnected with the main character. But that was not a problem with this book. I could feel Mira's pain so clearly. The poetry was exquisitely beautiful. I loved Mira's obsession with astronomy and the metaphors Mira weaved throughout the poetry. I loved the realistic portrayal of her relationship with her parents. Mira's mom was always kind of absent and actually left the family for a period of a year to go to Italy. Because of that, Mira is holding onto a lot of resentment towards her. She has always been much closer to her father until she catches him with his lover, James. Suddenly her whole world is thrown into chaos and she doesn't know how to handle the fact that she feels everything is a lie. She starts pushing her friends away, skipping school, and rebelling against her parents. 

When Mira realizes her father is sick, she struggles to come to terms with everything going on. Her confusion and sadness were so heartbreaking. This story took place at a time when people were still terrified of AIDS and thought they could get it just by drinking out of the same glass. I swear I spent the second 50% of this book crying my eyes out. 

The author's acknowledgements at the end made me tear up even more. This book was loosely based on the fact that the author's own father died of AIDS. I haven't felt this much emotion from a book in a long time. I was speechless when I finished it and I know this book will stay with me for a long time. 

Also . . . can we talk about how beautiful that cover is? It is seriously one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. 

Okay, there was ONE negative about this book. I am a really fast reader. Like really, really fast. I actually had to force myself to slow down a couple of times so I could savor the words. This is NOT a book you want to speed read. 

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy! Buy! Buy!!!