Torrey wasn't always nice to her, but I like to think she secretly appreciated her, and that Raylene had a good influence.Īs someone who blogs and makes YouTube videos, books focusing on these things always pique my interest, but they also make me nervous because I worry they'll get it wrong. Raylene, Torrey's social outcast of a cousin, was adorable. I loved reading about his family's culture and día de los muertos, and Luis trying to help Torrey through the aftermath of her sister's death was heartwarming and, at the same time, heartbreaking. Luis and his amazing family were such great additions to the book. That leads me on to the secondary characters, Luis and Raylene. As you can probably tell, she wasn't hugely likable at times, but who is likable all of the time, anyway? It just made her more real, and it also meant there was lots of space for her to grow and improve as a person, which she did. If she's not talking about herself or popularity, she's talking about the price tags on her clothes, and knowing what other people think of her 24/7 is incredibly important.

In an attempt at creating a fresh start, the family moves to Texas, where Torrey begins to come to terms with what happened.Īt the beginning, Torrey is shallow and materialistic. But her sister dies while helping her to shoot a video, and suddenly everyone has an opinion on it. She posts all the usual hauls and tutorials and, soon enough, she's pretty well-known. I know I shouldn't have done that but it turned out to be a good choice because this book absolutely blew me away. The instinct was so strong that I skipped my triple English lesson and read this instead. I knew, as soon as I took this out of the envelope, that I would love this book. How can Torrey mourn her sister in private, when her bubbly public persona is all over the web? Then she meets Luis, who challenges all she thought she knew about love, life and loss. But when her sister is killed in an accident, this perfect world implodes. I always wanted to be famous, but not like this.Įvery week, thousands of people watch Torrey's beauty vlog for tips on how to be popular and pretty. 'Stop using your sister's death for your own fame.' There are so many that say 'Sorry' and 'Thinking of you', but then there are the others. I click over to my YouTube page and scroll down to the comments.

Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner