Triggerwarnings: Loss of a loved one, drug use, gang culture and murder.

As the author’s note states at the end of the book, this is like a Christmas Carol retelling following a young lad known as Will. His actual name is William, but only his mum calls him that or his brother when he wants a dig. Will has had his fair share of tragedy in his short life, but when his brother is murdered, Will takes things into his own hands.
Will and his family have always lived by the lay of the land; don’t snitch, don’t cry, and don’t leave the area you live in, but once boarding his apartment lift, people approach, he begins to recognise them. He thought they were dead. How is this happening? People can’t physically rise from the dead. What are they doing here?
According to Jason Reynold’s this book gets “to see how human we really are.” All of us say that we would never do anything like that. Think back to when you were a teenager; how can you be sure? That’s the impression I got.
The language is clever in its own right. Written in verse, the story I found transcending. I decorated my reading journal with many quotes (listed below). It made me want to stop what I was doing and focus on Reynolds’ words.

Quotes
“We get to see how human we really are.”

“But if the blood inside you is on the inside of someone else, you never want to see it on the outside of them.”

“Her voice would somehow keep him alive.”

“But the day before yesterday […] the moon was off.”

“…his blood added to the pavement of bubble gum stars.”