REVIEW: Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook

Title: Nobody But Us
Author: Kristin Halbrook
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Format: ARC; 272 pages
Rating: 4/5 stars
Get It: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Bonnie and Clyde meets IF I STAY in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts.

They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.

Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....

When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.

My thoughts, feelings, and reactions

I have read a few mixed reviews when it came to Nobody but Us by Kristin Halbrook so I was feeling some hesitation when I started it. However, after a few pages it was already difficult to put the book down. I got desperation, heartbreak, and one touching novel that surprised me in the best possible ways. One thing is for sure, I loved Nobody but Us and I’m more than glad I read this amazing book.

What I truly loved most about this book is Halbrook’s writing. It was more than beautiful, real, and believable. She really brought the story and the character’s personalities to life. She makes you feel like you’re in the book with Will and Zoe, feeling their panic and their exhilaration of being on the road away from their troubles. I really enjoyed the spilt point of views between both characters because I felt like I was getting to know each side of their story and how they felt along the way. Because we don’t get to know Zoe and Will while they fall in love, the spilt POVs helped understand their relationship. I liked that some of their past was relived through their flashbacks because it helped make me believe the strength of their feelings for one another. The pacing, while not particularly fast, wasn’t slow either. It was the type of book where the plot builds and builds until the point of no return where everything just explodes into your face. Each chapter was always something different and something new and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. 

To be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with Zoe. She was young, naive, innocent and sometimes just plain clueless. However, Zoe was smart in some aspects and made some of her own decisions even when she was scared. Some of the things she did though, drove me crazy! Half the time I wanted to shake her because she was just frustrating or being completely and utterly stupid. I did like that Zoe believed in Will and saw the good in him. Although he was all that she had at the moment, she didn’t want to depend on him for everything. I also liked that she didn’t allow him to talk down to her when he did. While Zoe definitely had plenty of weaknesses, she definitely shined in the end of the book and showed her true strength. 

Will was my favorite of the two, no matter how broken he was and no matter how bad his temper was, I loved him. Ruggedly handsome, tough as nails, and loyal as hell, Will was just the best. I understood his protective nature for Zoe and I loved how much he wanted to prove his worth to her and himself. He was determined to take Zoe away, to take care of her and give her a better life. I really loved how he supported what Zoe wanted. Though twistedly wrong and totally rash, Will’s intentions were in the right place. He was a bad boy who got into a lot of fights, but he definitely had a soft and vulnerable side that he could not hide in front of Zoe. He really wanted to be a good man and a good person towards Zoe. He wanted to do and be everything for Zoe and in the end, Will rose up to do the right thing, sacrificed what he really wanted, and became the true hero I knew he would be from the start. 

While the tagline gave me everything I needed to know where the book was going to go, I really enjoyed seeing how everything played out. The anticipation of what will happen next was always there. I felt like any minute what Zoe and Will left behind was going to come rushing at them to bite them in the butt. Both Will and Zoe were broken and both had their own demons. I could tell they loved and cared for each other, but the way they handled things during their journey was just a reminder of how in over their heads they were. It was obvious how young they were and how they didn’t really know what they were doing. Their relationship, although filled with love, was also filled with border-line destruction. Nothing good can come out of their situation, but I was so eager to finish the book and see how Will and Zoe’s story all played out. 


With a bittersweet ending that made me tear up and made my heart ache, Halbrook still left me with hope despite how everything turned out.