Crossing the Line

April 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-A novel that creatively mixes the traditional YA genres of romance, comedy, and action/thriller. The story's two main protagonists, Ryan Hess and Dalila Sandoval, both 18, meet by a stroke of fate at a concert. Fate continues to throw them together despite their best efforts to stay away from each other. At first, it is purely for selfish reasons that they try to stay apart-but as the story unfolds things become serious, life-threateningly so, and they become each other's support. The alternating chapters showcasing the perspectives of Ryan and Dalila give readers a balanced view of the plot from each of the protagonists. Bits of comedy are also interwoven throughout the mostly serious book. Teens will appreciate how the relationship between Ryan and Dalila grows. The story contains scenes of sex and violence, but both play integral parts in the narrative. The setting is the border between Texas and Mexico, and the theme of drug-related violence will feel relevant and timely for some. Most of the characters, except for Ryan and his family, are of Mexican descent. The plot twists and turns until a satisfying conclusion. VERDICT A good choice where Elkeles's books are popular.-David Roberts, Salem Public Library, OH

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2018
Cartel violence engulfs two teens caught up in an inexplicable summer romance in Mexico.A scrappy fighter since childhood, Ryan Hess, a white American, devotes himself to boxing, his time in the ring giving him his only sense of peace. After winning the opportunity to train under the direction of a legendary Mexican boxer, Ryan gladly leaves behind his Texas border town along with his emotionally abusive stepfather, who is a corrupt, power-hungry sheriff. Pushed by her family to become a doctor, Dalila Sandoval, a sheltered, affluent Mexican girl, can't seem to escape her seemingly predestined path. Meeting at a concert and unable to shake their mutual attraction, the pair, of course, soon give in to their respective desires. But when Dalila's renowned lawyer father gets involved in a turf war between two rival Mexican cartels, the love-struck teens end up in the middle of the power struggle. In her exploration of adolescent love, Elkeles (Wild Cards, 2013, etc.) blends genuine moments of raw passion with indistinct, broad strands of danger, alternating each chapter between Ryan's and Dalila's first-person narration. The flimsy character development features underwhelming attempts at interrogating gender roles. Some stilted Spanish phrases also crop up. Equal parts rushed and endearing, this love story concludes with an implausible showdown, lackluster revelations, and a surprisingly bittersweet coda.A high-spirited yet bizarrely safe tale of a risky love. (Fiction. 14-18)

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May 7, 2018
The latest novel from Elkeles (Perfect Chemistry) treads well-worn territory: hard-talking bad boy Ryan meets aloof, well-dressed rich girl Dalila. In chapters that alternate between the teens’ perspectives, plenty of sparks fly, resulting in ample melodrama. The first pages introduce a plethora of outsized details about Ryan: he’s been to “juvie,” he’s an aspiring boxer, his stepfather is the sheriff in their Texas border town, his mother is a “drunk,” and he’s poor. Dalila’s first chapter, which is peppered with Spanish words and phrases, drops a similar wealth of information: Dalila’s father is a famous lawyer, her wealthy family lives over the border in Mexico, they love boxing, they live in the shadow of the Mexican cartels, and Dalila is a self-described “tough chica” but with a heart of gold. Elkeles brings her two protagonists together in a forbidden entanglement replete with Shakespearean obstacles. The boxing thread adds a fresh element to the story, while fans hoping to encounter a familiar, romantic Elkeles plot will be pleased to find that she delivers. Ages 14–up.