This is a nostalgic and unrelenting story of growing up in the 80’s and getting yourself into very adult scrapes as you try and navigate what it means to leave childhood behind. The main character, Brady, hasn’t ever had anything easy. He lost his gran (the only seemingly stable adult influence in his life) to illness and finds himself living back with his narcissistic mum, uninterested step-dad, and annoying sister in Las Vegas. The light in his days comes from his best friend Mickey, they casually deal drugs to other kids and Mickey’s house is a sanctuary for Brady. Mickey’s parents both work nights so they can maintain some semblance of a stable relationship - this means the house is empty for regular parties. Then the boys get in over their head and everything changes. This is an engrossing and dark book, that really shows how people on the cusp of adulthood respond to situations - unrequited love has as much impact as dealing with a cartel, both seeming a significant as each other in terms of the effect they’ll have on the rest of your life. As the story continues, you get glimpses of the men that Brady and Mickey will become. The event that struck me as the one that would have the most long-term impact on both isn’t actually one of the more terrible things that happen, it could almost be seen as a minor plot point, but the treatment of it by the author is clever in giving the hints as to what it leaves the boys thinking and feeling. Even amongst all the horror of events that most of us won’t have gone through in adolescence, there are plenty of relatable scenes that will transport you back to endless summers with the friends you thought you’d have for life.