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I agree with lizzerbean66--the fact that Emily enjoyed kissing Chris, holding him, being held by him, indicates she did have romantic feelings for him--not just those of a brother-sister: brothers/sisters tend not to enjoy such things! Emily's first sexual experience (at only age nine) was a molestation, setting the stage for her to fear and be repulsed by sexual actions until her awful first experience was dealt with--which it sadly never was. Further, Picoult frequently mentions how Emily and Chris could read each other's minds, feel the same feelings--one would assume that Chris too would have felt if their relationship was more like a brother-sister relationship, rather than a romantic one. If only Emily had told someone about her abuse--Chris, her parents, a teacher, the counsellor at Planned Parenthood--she could have received the help she needed, plus the immense relief of just having shared her awful secret. Chris, who clearly would have (and did) done anything for her, would have understood and helped her as he always did.

What did bother me, was the fact that Chris seemed to really 'push' Emily into having sex with him. I was thinking, however, that since this part of the story was told from Emily's point of view, perhaps it was a little skewed by her fear and reservations. Also, Chris said after having sex with Donna, that he realized it wasn't sex he wanted all along, just Emily. Also, from Chris's point of view, he loved Emily with all of his heart, and Emily loved him the same way--why wouldn't she want to engage in a celebration of their love? Sadly, instead of getting the help she so desperately needed, she became lost in her depression, feelings of being dirty and worthless, and the pregnancy only pushed her over the edge. I only hope that Picoult's story reaches others who have been abused or molested, so perhaps even one such tragedy can be avoided.