Allison Whittenberg

Wendy and Hakiam certainly don't hit it off right away - in fact, they seem to annoy each other. They're preconceived notions about the other play a big part in their attitudes. Wendy sees Hakiam as a lazy hoodlum and Hakiam sees Wendy as a stuck up snob. There's no way for Wendy to know that Hakiam has a lot of responsibility; he has to watch his cousin, Leesa's, premature daughter. And Wendy has a father who lived in the ghetto as a child and has become successful; he doesn't not want to associate, nor does he want her to associate, with anyone of a lower social class. Against all odds the two become friends and learn a lot about each other, which helps them both grow as people.

My opinion: As I first started reading this book, I kept thinking "I just KNOW I'm not going to like it!" But I pushed on and about 2/3 of the way through I really started liking it more and more. I really had a hard time grasping why Wendy agreed to have coffee with him that first time, they hadn't exactly been on good terms up to that point. I guess we can assume that she wanted to see if there was more to Hakiam than his rough exterior. And of course there was. It was really easy to see Hakiam grow through the story; his cousin Leesa was very irresponsible, not interested in her tiny premature baby, or really anything for that matter besides having parties. He was expected to take care of that poor baby most of the time and as Wendy taught him more and more about childcare he really took a renewed interest in the little girl's well being. There were a couple of passages in the book that made me chuckle, which was a good surprise. Not to give too much away, but the ending, I'm sure, will disappoint some people. PLEASE do not let this dissuade you from reading this book; I actually happen to like books that let the reader come to their own conclusions. It's nice to let your imagination fill in the blanks sometimes!

My rating: 3/5 stars… (mehr)