Suffer Love, Ashley Herring Blake’s debut novel, will appeal to readers who enjoyed John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars or Nicola Yoon’s Everything Everything. The main characters, Hadley and Samuel (Sam) have the same attraction-with-a-complication, although in this case the complication is not medical. Sam’s mother had an affair with Hadley’s father. Sam realizes who Ashley is long before Ashley makes the connection. Sam’s decision not to share that information provides much of the tension throughout the novel.

The novel is told from alternating points of view, which is occasionally disorienting. It’s helpful that each chapter is titled with the name of the character from whose point of view that chapter is told. There is a good deal of vulgar language. Sadly, though, the characters seem to use profanity as casually  and unconsciously as many high schoolers do today.