When My Heart Joins the Thousand
A. J. Steiger
- A
- heartbreaking
- debut
- YA
- romance
- featuring
- a
- neuroatypical
- girl
- with
- a
- tragic
- history
- and
- the
- chronically
- ill
- boy
- trying
- to
- break
- the
- vault
- encasing
- her
- heart.Alvie
- Fitz
- doesn’t
- fit
- in,
- and
- she
- doesn’t
- care.
- She’s
- spent
- years
- swallowing
- meds
- and
- bad
- advice
- from
- doctors
- and
- social
- workers.
- Adjust,
- adapt.
- Pretend
- to
- be
- normal.
- It
- sounds
- so
- easy.If
- she
- can
- make
- it
- to
- her
- eighteenth
- birthday
- without
- any
- major
- mishaps,
- she’ll
- be
- legally
- emancipated.
- Free.
- But
- if
- she
- fails,
- she’ll
- become
- a
- ward
- of
- the
- state
- and
- be
- sent
- back
- to
- the
- group
- home.All
- she
- wants
- is
- to
- be
- left
- alone
- to
- spend
- time
- with
- her
- friend,
- Chance,
- the
- one-winged
- hawk
- at
- the
- zoo
- where
- she
- works.
- She
- can
- bide
- her
- time
- with
- him
- until
- her
- emancipation.
- Humans
- are
- overrated
- anyway.Then
- she
- meets
- Stanley,
- a
- boy
- who
- might
- be
- even
- stranger
- than
- she
- is—a
- boy
- who
- walks
- with
- a
- cane,
- who
- turns
- up
- every
- day
- with
- a
- new
- injury,
- whose
- body
- seems
- as
- fragile
- as
- glass.
- Without
- even
- meaning
- to,
- she
- finds
- herself
- getting
- close
- to
- him.
- But
- Alvie
- remembers
- what
- happened
- to
- the
- last
- person
- she
- truly
- cared
- about.Her
- past
- stalks
- her
- with
- every
- step,
- and
- it
- has
- sharp
- teeth.
- But
- if
- she
- can
- find
- the
- strength
- to
- face
- the
- enemy
- inside
- her,
- maybe
- she’ll
- have
- a
- chance
- at
- happiness
- after all.
