This book is one of the most irresponsible books I've ever read and should never have been published.

"a shocking love story between two unlikely people"?

No. This is a 20-something man meeting an eight year old and grooming and sexually abusing her.

"Oh but he made sure she went to school and helped out at her house and made sure she wasn't neglected. She loved him because of that"

No. She was a minor. An older man shows more interest in her than anyone else in her life and takes advantage of her resulting attachment to him to have sexual encounters with her when she's 12/13. That is not a good man helping her out. That is sexually abusing a child. She could not consent. She was made to believe this was what love was, so of course she came back to him in the end.

Her aunt was the only adult that saw this for what it was and was painted as controlling and overreacting because she tried to protect her niece.

Absolutely absurd. I don't think I've ever been this physically angry over a book. Usually I'm okay with books I didn't enjoy staying on my shelves, but I actually might throw this away. I can't even donate it because I don't want someone else to end up reading it.