Layover

October 16, 2017
The Barlow-Abernathys are headed toward divorce, and 15-year-old Flynn Barlow, her older stepbrother Amos, and their nine-year-old half-sister Poppy aren’t sure what this means for them. Things are even more complicated for Flynn and Amos, who once shared a romantic moment that neither can forget but both refuse to confront. During a layover at LAX, they decide to ditch their family Christmas vacation in Bora Bora and have a final hurrah as siblings. Relying on Flynn’s crush Neel to provide room and board, the three run around L.A. having a great time until real life intervenes: Poppy stops taking her anti-anxiety medication, Amos reconnects with his now-sober father, Flynn faces her debilitating stage fright, and their parents are coming to get them. In their first book for teens, the screenwriting duo of Andelson and Meyer look at the complexities of blended families and the relationships that can develop. Unfortunately, the quasi-romance between Flynn and Amos overshadows this story of siblings on the run. Ages 14–up. Agent: Lacy Lynch and Dabney Rice, Dupree Miller & Associates.

October 15, 2017
A wealthy blended family of white siblings purposely misses their connecting flight as a way of protesting their parents' divorce in this debut by screenwriters Andelson and Meyer. After 10-year-old Poppy lets slip to her older half brother and half sister, Amos and Flynn, that she overheard their parents are planning to divorce, the angry trio decides to ditch meeting their parents in Bora Bora and get off the plane in LA. Luckily, Flynn's rich, Indian-American summer-camp crush, Neel Khan, lives nearby and can rescue them. So they dump their cellphones and embark on a three-day adventure that includes both a visit to Disneyland and the loss of Flynn's virginity. The sibs' complicated past is relayed in flashbacks: Flynn's dad and Amos' mom had an affair, divorced their spouses, married each other, and had Poppy. Stepsiblings Flynn and Amos, only a year apart, dote on Poppy and are beginning to have romantic feelings for each other. But unfortunately, their voices are so indistinguishable that it's often difficult to decipher whose parent did what and who is crushing on whom. And the relentlessly cliched dialogue (" 'What's your problem, Amos?' I fire back, trying not to let my voice crack. / 'I don't have a problem' / 'Right.' / 'You know what? I take it back. I do have a problem, ' he says. And then, outrageously: 'You. You're my problem, Flynn' ") doesn't help much in individuating them. Readers looking for a guilty-pleasure 1-percent read can do better than this Gossip Girl retread. (Fiction. 12-15)

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January 1, 2018

Gr 8 Up-Flynn is trying to play it cool when her stepbrother, Amos, returns home from boarding school for the holiday break. Amos left her in the dust when he abruptly changed schools and she is not sure how to act around him anymore, especially after their last night together. Now, Amos, Flynn, and their nine-year-old half sister, Poppy, are leaving on a holiday vacation when Poppy breaks the big news: their parents are going to announce their divorce. Fed up, Flynn proposes ditching the big family vacation and exploring Los Angeles. Cue the wild and frothy background music, because it's the runaway adventure of a lifetime-a very privileged one. Flynn and Amos both have wealthy parents, and it is reflected in their attitudes about school, the future, and their current escape. Their wealth insulates them in a way that not all teens will relate to. Amos and Flynn have a complex relationship. They share an attraction that neither of them is ready to talk about, and it is slightly awkward throughout. Chapters are short and do not leave much opportunity to explore and get to know these characters. Their connection to each other seems more surface level than deep and meaningful. VERDICT Collections looking to add pure escapism to their shelves will find this an adequate title. It is not a standout debut.-Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, Alexandria, MN

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 Wealthy NYC high-schoolers Flynn and Amos are stepsiblings with . . . let's just say complicated feelings toward each other. En route to Bora Bora for the holidays with their nine-year-old biological half-sister, Poppy, they discover that their parents are planning a divorce, and instead of taking their connecting flight, they ditch at LAX and go on the lam. Brief chapters alternate between all three viewpoints as the trio contemplate their next steps, rehash the past, and make a fair number of rash decisions in the moment. The high-concept premise in this debut novel provides a fair degree of wish fulfillment, as these children of privilege drive off in a Maserati and enjoy Disneyland on a friend's credit card. The constant switching between POV doesn't allow for a deep treatment of the many subjects at handalcoholic and absent parents, romantic feelings for a stepsibling, and anxiety, to name only a few. Still, it's likely that readers interested in the siblings' glitzy, Gossip Girl-esque antics will find something to enjoy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)