Beautiful. Moving. Heartbreaking. Grounding. Gut-wrenching. It hit me really hard. I loved the story, although it broke my heart most of the time. Unfortunately the events and scenes from this book are reality in a world much different than ours. Hard, cold reality. I cannot begin to describe how much pain I felt for these kids. It made me want to go in my e-reader, grab those children, hug them so tight and just comfort them. A person very dear to me used to tell me about the lives of African orphans, for she was one of those precious people that helped some of them, like Karina and Charles (and others) did. That's probaby part of the reason why I really felt this book. While reading about the happy moments, like when they took the children swimming, I could literally feel the joy and hear their laughter and was in awe at how little it took to make them happy, no matter how hard their lives had been. It really made me re-evaluate my life, my values and just reminded me how much I really am and should be greateful for. Usually when something or someone becomes a constant in our lives, we sadly start taking it/him/her for granted. The simple things in life make you the most happy. Amelie, you have inspired and humbled me.And let's not forget about Ian and Sophia. Their love is beautiful.