Not If I Save You First

January 8, 2018
The son of the U.S. president and the daughter of a Secret Service agent wind up in a fight for their lives in this tense romantic thriller from Carter (the Embassy Row series). When they were young, Maddie Manchester was Logan’s only friend amid the isolation and strict protocols of the White House. But after her father was shot during an attempted abduction of the first lady, Maddie and her father moved to the wilderness of Alaska. For years, Maddie wrote Logan letters, but they went unanswered. So she’s furious when Logan’s antics get him sent to their tiny Alaskan cabin after six years of silence—she barely knows this suddenly tall (and handsome) boy. When Logan is kidnapped, Maddie—using her finely honed survival skills—sets out to rescue him so she can kill (or kiss) him herself. The characters are dynamic and engaging: Maddie’s hypercompetence and all-business attitude contrast deliciously with Logan’s jokey sarcasm. The teens’ childhood friendship evolves into a sweet romance, and the fast-paced thrills will keep readers up late. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary.

Maddy, the daughter of a Secret Service agent, and the president's son, Logan, battle Russian assassins and the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness in this high-stakes thriller. Narrator Brittany Pressley smoothly matches the tone of the story, which bounces rapidly between teen angst and life-or-death combat. She excels at voicing teenage Maddy, using a heavy Valley Girl cadence when Maddy is relying on the assassins to underestimate her and dropping it almost entirely when Maddy draws on her survival skills to stay alive and to save Logan. Listeners who like smart, snarky teen protagonists and a healthy dose of chaste romance with their action will enjoy this stand-alone from young adult mainstay Ally Carter, who wrote The Gallagher Girls series. E.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine