APRIL 2016 - AudioFile
Michael Crouch opens the story in an “After” section in which hospitalized 18-year-old Micah Carter recovers from “an accident” he doesn’t remember. Crouch wistfully expresses Micah’s longing for and lyrical memories of Janie Vivian, his best friend since childhood. In contrast, Micah’s abrupt, shocked answers to police express his puzzlement about what has happened. Justis Bolding delivers Janie Vivian’s “Before” section, which is composed of journal entries. In contrast to Crouch’s subdued tones, Bolding’s narration brims with passion, sassiness, and, later, fury for a terrible hurt she keeps hidden. Her emotional highs and lows make sense for the pain she feels and inflicts on Micah. The alternating first-person narratives give excellent perspectives of both protagonists, and their contrasts give dimension to both characters and their powerful secret relationship. S.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Zhang’s effortless exploration of the complex intersection of memory and perception, and intricate, menace-laden plot is a perfect fit for fans of E. Lockhart’s compelling We Were Liars.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Zhang does a wonderful job of creating characters. …She creates a plot line that will be believable among most teens about secrets that are and are not shared. This will make a great pairing with Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)
“A dark, complicated tale, steeped in obsession [and] painful secrets…this is most definitely a novel that will have fans talking.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Zhang switches between Janie’s thoughts before the fire and Micah’s after, bridging the two with unsettling fractured fairy tales from Janie’s senior English project…Zhang’s subject and tone recall books like Paper Towns and Thirteen Reasons Why.” — Publishers Weekly
Booklist (starred review)
Zhang’s effortless exploration of the complex intersection of memory and perception, and intricate, menace-laden plot is a perfect fit for fans of E. Lockhart’s compelling We Were Liars.
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)
Zhang does a wonderful job of creating characters. …She creates a plot line that will be believable among most teens about secrets that are and are not shared. This will make a great pairing with Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak.
APRIL 2016 - AudioFile
Michael Crouch opens the story in an “After” section in which hospitalized 18-year-old Micah Carter recovers from “an accident” he doesn’t remember. Crouch wistfully expresses Micah’s longing for and lyrical memories of Janie Vivian, his best friend since childhood. In contrast, Micah’s abrupt, shocked answers to police express his puzzlement about what has happened. Justis Bolding delivers Janie Vivian’s “Before” section, which is composed of journal entries. In contrast to Crouch’s subdued tones, Bolding’s narration brims with passion, sassiness, and, later, fury for a terrible hurt she keeps hidden. Her emotional highs and lows make sense for the pain she feels and inflicts on Micah. The alternating first-person narratives give excellent perspectives of both protagonists, and their contrasts give dimension to both characters and their powerful secret relationship. S.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2015-12-08
A twisty, stylized examination of a catastrophic relationship. Eighteen-year-old Janie Vivian believed in fairy tales and metaphors and true love. Her best friend, Micah, believed that he loved Janie. Despite her crazy ideas and unrelenting mind games, he believed he loved Janie "apocalyptically." Little did he know that the end of their world was right around the corner. The story of the two friends' sometimes beautiful and oft-dysfunctional relationship is slowly revealed through an interesting combination of Micah's present-day accounts, Janie's flashbacks, and her occasional journal entries. Though it is Micah who wakes up in a hospital room unable to explain to police how he got there or what happened to Janie, the novel, just like Micah's world, revolves mostly around her, and she is a force. Watching Janie toy with Micah's heart while executing a plan to make another classmate fall hopelessly in love with her is cringeworthy and at times difficult to bear. When Janie's plans take an unexpected and horrible turn, it becomes equally difficult to watch her unravel and to drag an unsuspecting Micah down with her. Zhang weaves a dark, complicated tale, steeped in obsession, painful secrets, and mind-numbing vodka. Readers will be left to decide for themselves whether this is a tragic love story or a psychological thriller; regardless, this is most definitely a novel that will have fans talking. (Fiction. 14 & up)
