Teddi Alder is just trying to figure out her life.
When she joins SUMMERTEENS, a library writing group, she’s only looking to keep herself busy, not go digging around in her subconscious. But as she writes, disturbing memories of her lost childhood friend Corey bubble to the surface, and Teddi begins to question everything: her friendship with her BFF Willa, how much her mom really knows, and even her own memories. Teddi fears she’s losing her grip on reality—as evidenced by that mysterious ghost-girl who emerges from the park pool one night, the one who won’t leave Teddi alone. To top it all off, she finds herself juggling two guys with potential, a quirky new boy named Joy and her handsome barista crush Aidan, who has some issues of his own.
As the summer unfolds, Teddi is determined to get to the bottom of everything—her feelings, the mysterious ghost-girl, and the memories of Corey that refuse to be ignored. (Pub Date: Feb 13, 2018)
How to rate this novel? 3.5, probably.
One night, Teddi sees a girl in the park pool near her house but when she her crush Aidan gets there, no one is around. Aidan is sure she must have imagined things. But the girls shows up once more, only to disappear again. Later, Teddi notices ghost-girl isn't the only thing off. She can't remember much about the time her childhood friend went away or even what happened to the new girl Fawn, with whom they used to play together.
I did like this story. It had an eerie atmosphere and some complexity I don't usually find in YA's. But there were also flaws.
The writing didn't flow, and I'd call it my main complaint. It's not only that there were too many rantings, but the writing itself—choice of words, order, sentences—it was all too much for YA. It felt like someone playing "substitute with the most unusual synonym". As much as Teddi is taking a writing course, I don't think a fifteen-year-old would narrate like that.
My other problem was the romance with Aidan. I'll extend this complaint to most relationships presented in the story—people are just too passive! But Aidan's case, being the main character's boyfriend, really got to me. The relationship was abusive from the start, and I know Teddi would tell him off again and again, but she'd also let insults go too easily. I'm not sure that's a good example for teenage girls. I can't spoil the conclusion of this but it didn't redeem Aidan enough. And as I said, he wasn't the only issue. A number of characters there were too much and getting too little reproach for that, as if it was okay to act like that. It'd be bad enough for me already weren't it meant for teenagers to read.
But the book also had many good points. I loved how fixated on it I felt. I had to go until the end, to understand what was happening. And I really cared for all of them, ghost-girl, Corey, Fawn and poor Teddi.
As stated before, the story transpires an eeriness that makes all answers possible. You really have no idea if it's going to be about a crime, the supernatural or a psychological problem. Curiosity and even dread—yes, this is a pun—gets you turning pages and you almost don't feel it. I remember one night I was caught by surprise when I looked at the hour and it was two hours later than my bed time. I have no idea for how long I had been sitting with my e-reader, and I still wanted to stay for "just a chapter more".
I think this author needs some improvements in the way his characters act, but I really liked the palpable effort he's put in the making of the book. Let's be honest, many YA books seem like a pre-made story with scenes glued together from some multiple-choice but limited possibilities. This book went further and deeper; I'm thankful for the respect toward YA readers.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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