Book Review of Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges

Publication Date: March 29, 2016.

Publisher: Kensington Books.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, and Romance.

Rating:

Selling points: Deals with heavy topics such as addiction and abuse. It is a story about forgiveness and love, and it is magically written.

Purchase here: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis: Every star has its own path…

“I can’t ever be the blazing star that Iris was. I’m still just a cold, dark satellite orbiting a star that went super nova.”

Andria’s twin sister, Iris, had adoring friends, a cool boyfriend, a wicked car, and a shelf full of soccer trophies. She had everything, in fact—including a drug problem. Six months after Iris’s death, Andria is trying to keep her grades, her friends, and her family from falling apart. But stargazing and books aren’t enough to ward off her guilt that she—the freak with the scary illness and all-black wardrobe—is still here when Iris isn’t. And then there’s Alex Hammond. The boy Andria blames for Iris’s death. The boy she’s unwittingly started swapping lines of poetry and secrets with, even as she tries to keep hating him.

Heartwrenching, smart, and bold, Dreaming of Antigone is a story about the jagged pieces that lie beneath the surface of the most seemingly perfect life…and how they can fit together to make something wholly unexpected.

Thank you Kensington Books for my eARC of Dreaming of Antigone. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Be aware that this story deals with topics such as suicide, abuse, and addiction.

Dreaming of Antigone is a tragic story about a family surrounded by loss, heartbreak, and secrets with Andria and her twin sister Iris at the center of it all. Iris died of a drug overdose six months ago, something Andria, her family and their friends are still struggling with. Andria is now trying to continue her life through her grief, in a world where she’ll discover that not everything is as it once seemed.

“Iris’s death was officially deemed an accident. Not a suicide. But don’t you have to have some sort of death wish to smoke heroin?”

I loved this book so much more than I ever thought I would, it is a story that sticks with you and shows you how life can be filled with sadness, love, and unexpected truths. I love how this story is so family and friendship-oriented, and how all of these characters try to deal with the loss of Iris and what happened the night of her death. However, Dreaming of Antigone is a story that will break your heart but at the same time give you hope for the people who are left standing in the wake of tragedy and loss.

“I’m trapped, and I push up on my hands, trying desperately to stay above him. His grasp tightens as he squeezes my waist. Nerve endings all over my body explode like fireworks, and suddenly I feel out of control. It feels wild. Intoxicating.”

We also have Alex, the boy who is in the eyes of many to be blamed for Iris’ death. There are so many unexpected things about this story of Andria, Iris, and Alex, which makes the story so much more complex than it first seems. There is so much about the seemingly perfect life we don’t see until everything is turned upside down. Nonetheless, it is a story that is magical all in its own way. Dreaming of Antigone is filled with beautiful poetry, due to a mutual interest between two characters, and it really adds something special to the story. It makes Dreaming of Antigone such a wonderful and enchanting read. The important topics this book deals with makes it a perfect read for anyone who wants to read a story that will give them a little more from their reading experience.