February’s book is a fictional tale that takes the reader through the ups and downs of friendship and life; full of happiness, sorrow and raw emotion, Firefly Lane is memorable.

The author, Kristin Hannah, is known for her compelling tales, in which she defines love and friendship, creating a message about the power of the human heart. Firefly Lane is made even more powerful by the fact that much of the book is based on aspects of Kristin Hannah’s own youth and young adulthood, including her relationship with her mother. Her experiences and feelings spill over into the book and into open-minded reader’s hearts.

One especially unique aspect about this book is that it truly shows change over the test of time. While the protagonists do physically mature, the true shift can be seen in the perspectives of the alternating narrators. As the characters age, their voices grow and change with them; this form of narration adds another layer of depth to the story. It is for this reason that Firefly Lane is one of the most relatable of Hannah’s novels for teenagers on the cusp of adulthood.

The novel begins when the characters are in eighth grade and takes readers on a journey through more than 30 years of the protagonists’ lives. The novel is suitable for a wide audience, for readers in high school to people in their forties, as it simultaneously serves as a glimpse of the past and a look to the present or towards a possible future.

Each age group within this range that reads the book will likely take a different message from it, based upon readers’ places in life, but whatever that lesson may be, it is true and deep. The enemies are not often external, clear cut or easily defeated. In fact, more often than not, the struggles in the novel are internal and messy, and the result is devastating over a long period of time.

If anything, this novel is real. It makes no promises, and it tells no lies. Firefly Lane gives the reader some of the best and the worst moments of life, making the novel so memorable.

If the reader is generally an emotional person, it is best to bring tissues while reading, because this book packs quite a punch and it lingers in the mind long after it has been read. Yet, for those daring readers, Firefly Lane may make them re-evaluate their relationships. After all, it is more than just a fictional book; it is a story about many of the basic truths of life.