We All Fall Down

July 15, 2017
Two teens brought together by shared history and mental health issues try to break the spell cast by a haunted pedestrian bridge. Paige suffers from anxiety and Theo from ADHD, and while their longtime friendship means they understand how to support each other at crucial times, it's their long-simmering romance that brings the haunting into focus. Neither has admitted to the other their mutual interest, but when another boy flirts with Paige at a party, Theo gets into a fight in which he inadvertently hits Paige so hard she loses teeth. The result is Paige is banned from seeing Theo. The bridge has other ideas. On one side of the Muskingum River the bridge spans is a college campus where Paige is in a special program for the summer, and on the other is a small town where Theo works for his uncle in a shaky construction firm. Readers may find themselves hard-pressed to make sense of the nature of this haunted bridge, as vague voices gradually change into more threatening and powerful shadows. Side effects from the medications these two evidently white, middle-class teens are taking also play into the suspense, or at least they seem meant to, but how this plays into the paranormal plot never quite comes clear. Readers desperate for a romantic paranormal adventure may be satisfied, but they'll have to abandon logic to get there. (Paranormal suspense. 12-16)

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August 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Theo is the boy a mother would rather her daughter never set sights on. But Paige has always ignored the label others have given him-a screwup-only seeing the Theo she loves, the one who always keeps her anxiety at bay and makes her feel safe. At a party where everything about their relationship feels on the cusp of changing for the better, Theo does something he can never take back. Even if Paige wasn't the intended victim, she's the one who suffers the consequences. Four months later, they are both drawn repeatedly to the bridge that broke them for good, each experiencing the tragedy of the night over and over again, until they realize coming together to figure out who or what is haunting them may be the only way to finally put the night to rest. A chilling story about a boy and a girl haunted by one night and one bridge. Full of twists, eerie theories, and a satisfying conclusion, this will be thoroughly enjoyed by YA fans of April Henry and Demitria Lunetta. VERDICT A must-purchase where YA mysteries and thrillers are highly anticipated.-Meghan Oppelt, Whitehall School District, WI

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