My Best Friend, Maybe

April 14, 2014
In her second book, Carter (Me, Him, Them, and It) sets up an intriguing situation: at the end of junior year, three years after Coley and Sadie stopped being best friends, Sadie invites Coley to a family wedding in Greece. Why? Sadie isn’t saying, any more than she ever told Coley why she dropped her in the first place. Coley impulsively says yes, but she has reasons for going: she wants to get away from her perfect (and perfectly dull) boyfriend, and she’s curious about who she is if she’s not the good girl her family and church expect. Cue the consequences—the people who were once Coley’s second family have changed. Sadie’s mother is angry at Coley, Sadie’s older brother has gotten hot, there’s a hostile and seemingly jealous cousin, and mercurial Sadie is alternately lovable and maddening. Unfortunately, the combination of complex plot machinations and Coley’s naiveté (which keeps her from seeing twists readers may spot sooner) make the book feel over-plotted and slow, with confusions and conflicts dragging on. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

May 1, 2014
Two former best friends raised by families with markedly different values take a trip to Greece in this poignant story that is centered around themes of sexuality, acceptance and belonging.High school junior Colette has grown weary of following the rules dictated to her by her conservative, religious family and longs for more physical involvement with her boyfriend and a chance to break out of her nice-girl role. And though she has other friends, she has felt adrift since Sadie, her closest childhood friend, mysteriously dropped her years earlier. When Sadie extends the unexpected and perplexing invitation to join her family on the Greek island of Santorini, Colette feels compelled to go both out of loyalty and to shake up her own life. Emotionally rich characters make this an engaging drama that is as much about people finding places within their families as it is about the damage done by rigid adults to vulnerable kids. A romance that develops between Colette and one of Sadie's older brothers is sweetly believable, though the eventual reveal of the overcomplicated reasoning behind Sadie's selection of Colette to come on the trip is less so.Vivid descriptions of the unusual landscape of Santorini will fascinate readers looking for a good travelogue, and the perceptive and heartfelt relationship dynamics will only add to the appeal. (Fiction. 14-18)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 10 Up-Colette and Sadie are former best friends who have not spoken in three years. Out of the blue, Sadie invites Colette to go with her family to Greece. The protagonist is supposed to go to Costa Rica with her boyfriend and members of his church but agrees to go change plans and go with her former friend-a decision made out of a mix of curiosity and feeling like Sadie's invitation is a challenge. Once in Greece, the girls try to set aside their complicated history. They revert to their childhood traditions of playing cards, swimming, and sharing old jokes. But pretending everything is fine is difficult, and Colette starts needling Sadie for answers about their falling out and why she really asked her on this trip. The answers are slow to come, and when the she hears them, they shake her world. Once the secrets are revealed, the teens fully begin to understand the years of hurt they caused one another. Their messy and complex friendship is a realistic look at the ways relationships can change and wither. The narrator's quest to be who she needs to be (not who her demanding mother, her virtuous boyfriend, or duplicitous Sadie need her to be) and Sadie's tentative steps toward honesty are poignant. Stunning descriptions of Greece and a small cast of well-developed secondary characters round out this affecting story about identity. Suggest this one to readers looking for an introspective take on the intricacies of friendship.-Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
After three years without speaking, Colette's former best friend Sadie begs Colette to join her on a family vacation to Greece. As Sadie's secrets begin to surface, Colette examines her own choices and her role as the perfect daughter of religious conservatives. Carter handles Sadie's homosexuality and Colette's resulting confusion with grace, mixing high emotion with childhood flashbacks that balance the scale.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)