ALA Booklist (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Is it possible to experience joy if you don't experience pain? Is absorbing someone's pain a gift or a curse? Shusterman explores these central questions in this thought-provoking new book. Sixteen-year-old Tennyson fumes when he learns his twin sister, Bronte, is dating Bruiser, the guy voted Most Likely to Go to Jail, but Bronte insists Bruiser is misunderstood. Tennyson is eventually won over and befriends Bruiser, and that's when the twins notice something odd. Their cuts and bruises disappear overnight while Bruiser is a mass of new hurts; somehow he takes on the pain, both physical and emotional, of the people he cares for. The story is narrated by Tennyson, Bronte, and Cody, Bruiser's brother, in prose and by Bruiser in free verse, and the individual voices are nicely distinct. It is Tennyson, though, who stands out as he evolves from self-centered bully to caring young man and ponders big questions about friendship and sacrifice. A culminating crisis is a bit convenient, but the compelling issues and engaging premise make this a rewarding read.

Horn Book

When Brontk Sternberger begins dating Brewster ("Bruiser") Rawlins, her twin brother, Tennyson, quickly asserts his opinion about the relationship. But soon a unique triumvirate forms as Brontk and Tennyson learn more about Bruiser and his mystical ability to absorb others' pain. Narrative perspective alternates among the three characters (Bruiser's is in verse), and Shusterman's knack for authentic teen voices carries the novel.

Kirkus Reviews

Shusterman's latest is an unlikely love story. Twins Tennyson and Bronte—both parents teach literature, force feed their children vocabulary words and fight incessantly—don't have much in common, but when Bronte starts dating the Bruiser, they find themselves pulled into something unimaginable. Because if Brew loves you, he'll steal your pain—heartache, as well as bruises and broken bones. He has always held himself apart to keep himself safe, but the price is unimaginable loneliness. Bronte has always had her eye out for things and people in need, while Tennyson thrives on his anger, but Brew's power turns everything around. It flattens emotions, because none of the bad stuff ever hurts and life is lived in mental padding. Told in four voices—Tennyson and Bronte, Brew and his younger brother, Cody—this is a wrenching but ultimately redemptive look at how pain defines us and how love, whether familial, romantic or friendly, demands sacrifice and brings gifts of its own. Once again, Shusterman spins a fantastic tale that sheds light on everyday life. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this thought-provoking, low-key drama, Shusterman (Unwind) examines the bonds between family, friends, and community, and how the individual can affect the whole. Sixteen-year-old twins Tennyson and Bront%C3%AB Sternberger aren't the closest of siblings, but Tennyson is concerned when his sister starts dating Brewster ""Bruiser"" Rawlins, an antisocial delinquent from a dubious family. But as the Sternbergers grow closer to Bruiser, they discover his secret: he takes on the pain and injuries of those he cares about, healing them at his own expense, whether he wants to or not. He can even soothe emotional wounds%E2%80%94his mere presence is enough to save the twins' parents' fragmenting marriage%E2%80%94but the cost to Bruiser may be unbearable. Tennyson and Bront%C3%AB must face the unintended consequences of their actions when disaster strikes and a lifetime of healing others takes its toll on their new friend. Even as the narrative wrestles with philosophical and moral issues, it delves deep into the viewpoints of Tennyson, Bront%C3%AB, Bruiser, and his younger brother, each segment told in a different, distinctive style, making for a memorable story. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. (July)

School Library Journal (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 8 Up-Tennyson, 16, is a hulking loner who seems to possess the power to heal both physical and psychic hurts. When his twin sister, Bronta, befriends their shy and withdrawn classmate Brewster "Bruiser" Rawlins, he is concerned that her relationship with this boy from the wrong side of the tracks will prove somehow dangerous. After he spies Bruiser changing in the locker room and notices that his back is covered in scars and welts, he becomes even more certain that the teen and his family are bad news. In spite of her brother's warnings, Bronta continues her relationship with Bruiser, drawing him closer to her familyand Tennysonin the process. The twins begin to notice Bruiser's unusual talent: not only can he assume the physical pain and wounds of those he cares about, but he can also absorb their anger, hurt, and grief. Told from the three characters' alternating perspectives, with Brewster's rendered in poetic form, Shusterman's novel reveals its secrets and their implications slowly, allowing readers to connect the dots before the characters do and encouraging them to weigh the price of Bruiser's "gift" against the freedom from pain that Tennyson and Bronta enjoy.— Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, Boston