The Long Night of Leo and Bree

Ellen Wittlinger

It’s been 4 years since Leo’s sister was killed by her boyfriend. Leo is still haunted by the sight, and his mother is out of her mind. Bree leads a boring life in comparison, but when she heads out to a bar, and finds herself lost, confronted by Leo and threatened with murder.

The back of this novel is very misleading. This is not romance. It’s a horrible night for them both, but it has the potential to lead to positive things. I’m not sure exactly what though.

I felt along with the characters, I felt Bree’s terror and Leo’s confusion. I found myself being disturbed by what was happening, and not wanting to put the novel down for fear of something happening while I wasn’t looking!

At the same time, I couldn’t feel the same connection with both characters. Leo has so much depth, while Bree seems like a simple rich girl. I guess that’s her role, but surely Wittlinger could have picked a better antagonist? Or at least make me feel some sympathy for her. If I had thought it would make Leo feel better, I would have told him to kill her.

I purchased this novel because I’ve enjoyed Wittlinger’s novels in the past. It has nothing on Parrotfish, but is really much better than Hard Love. That’s not to say it’s perfect though, or anything other than a quick, worth-reading-once, novel. Don’t bother buying it unless you’re determined to collect everything from this author, just borrow it from the library to make up your mind yourself. I’d recommend this for mature teenage readers.