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If you want a really good tear-jerker, then this book fits the bill. Maisie wakes up in the hospital after being severely burned by a lightning strike while she was out for a run. She soon has a surgical procedure to transplant parts of her face that had to be removed because they couldn't be saved. The story traces Maisie's struggle to come to terms with not only a new face, but also the entirely new life that comes with it. Her friends and family treat her differently now, and she can't do the things she has always loved making her want to escape to a place where noone knew what she looked like "before."

This is a well-written, realistic story about what happens to people when tragedy leaves them "lucky" to be alive but with huge obstacles to overcome. ( )

Received ARC.
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A strong YA novel. Students will love the page-turning tale of Maisie and how she faces a life-altering accident. ( )

I recommend everyone reading this book to read the article the author mentioned in the acknowledgements. Raffi Khatchadourian wore a fascinating and detailed article in the February 2012 "New Yorker" about a man who received a full face transplant as well covering the history of transplants and a few other successful and unsuccessful cases. I ended up reading the article after reading a few chapters of the book and saw that the article greatly influenced the book. One thing that the article covers in greater depth than the book is the great risk inherent in any transplant. The book does address it but does not include the fact that no one with a face transplant has survived longer than ten years or so. Also one of the doctors quoted in the article said that the patients are made aware that death is a real possibility, not just a slight risk. It's an interesting dilemma- live life with missing all or part of your face, not having sensation and the risks and pain involved with multiple skin grafts and surgeries, or a transplant that improves appearance but is still not "normal" but possibly regain sensation, but have to take pills the rest of your life that have serious side effects on your daily functioning and also no guarantee on how long the transplant might last or if compilations might end your life. I really don't know what I'd choose and I hope I never have to find out. ( )