Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis | Rating: ★★★★★

So. How does one describe Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now in a single word? Remarkable. This book is truly and completely a remarkable, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and at times stomach curdling, read. Dana L. Davis really knocked it out of the park with this one and left me in shambles by the time the story reached its end.

Every year, I feel like there are less and less books that are able to actual evoke genuine emotions from me. But, Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now quite frankly owned me from the very start and was so, so gripping. I will never forget this book. Ever. It is truly an impossible to put down read. Even moreso, it's an impossible to forget novel and one of the best debuts of all time.

When I was younger, the first time I remember reading and having a good cry over a book was Candle in the Wind by Maureen Crane Wartski and The Girl Death Left Behind by Lurlene McDaniel. Last year saw the very emotionally charged releases of Dear Martin by Nic Stone, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now joins the ranks of these books in the sense that it will truly move you.

Davis really blew me away with this release. Not only did the book reach places of my heart that not every book is capable of reaching, Davis captured the very essence of being a teenager in the aftermath of tragedy--all that confusion, all the complexities of what makes Tiffany Sly human, right down to the struggles of her new home life.

I genuinely adored the book, but what I adored most was the honesty that came with the novels prose. Tiffany is such an outstanding character, she feels real and as if she could be your best-friend or your sister or your neighbor. When she is hurting, you are hurting. When she struggles, you struggle.

There were so many moments in Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now that stood out for me. The general tone that came with Tiffany's sudden move after the death of her mother--the new home, the new family, the struggling connection with her half siblings and father. The very real struggles of anxiety. I don't know that I've ever read such a good exploration of high-anxiety like I did in this book and honestly I am thankful for it. 

In all its good, there were so many moments that physically ached. The struggles that Tiffany has with her father, who is a much more different kind of parent than she is used to. He is not a character that I was able to stomach easily and so many of his actions really, really, really hurt. This was just another testament to how brilliant Davis is at crafting a series of characters that are flawed and utterly human.

Ultimately, I adored Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now from start to finish and highly recommend it as a book you NEED to be reading before the year is over. It's truly special and filled with all kinds of topics that are often neglected. Most importantly, it has soul.