Everyone We've Been

August 15, 2016
On the way home from a concert, high school senior Addie Sullivan meets a guy she connects with. Then their bus crashes, and there’s no sign of him; when he turns up again, only Addie can see him. By this point, readers—who have access to chapters labeled “before”—know that the mystery “Bus Boy” closely resembles Zach, the guy Addie dated 18 months earlier. What they don’t know is why she doesn’t recognize this similarity herself. It’s only when Addie seeks help that she realizes her memories of Zach were erased; even more disturbing, there are other important things she doesn’t remember. This could be the setup for a thriller, but the secrets here are familial, not criminal—debut author Everett is interested in the role memory plays in shaping who we are. Though the idea that the one place with memory-erasing technology is just outside Addie’s small hometown stretches believability, and Everett’s examinations of memory, history, and resilience can be heavy-handed, she has crafted a complex and thought-provoking story. Ages 12–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media.

July 15, 2016
Addie's investigation into the source of her hallucinations of a teenage boy is interspersed with flashbacks of her first romance.Biracial (black/white) Addie's conversations with a handsome, redheaded, white stranger elicit strange stares, something she's been accustomed to all her life. When readers see how her best friend, Katy, reacts to stories about him, they will quickly realize that Addie is hallucinating. Eventually Addie also realizes she's delusional, but she believes that her hallucination has an identity in the real world. She begins researching, convinced that discovering his identity will stop the delusions. However, the investigation's dramatic tension is somewhat diminished since the interwoven flashbacks have already revealed that the hallucination and Addie's first boyfriend, Zach, share many physical traits. This makes it easy for readers to conclude they are one and the same, and since Katy obviously knows the truth, Addie's refusal to simply allow her to share her knowledge also makes the investigation seem unnecessarily drawn out. Readers spend much of the novel waiting for Addie to catch up, though the science-fiction brain surgery that explains both the hallucinations and a secondary plot involving Addie's emotionally distant family dynamic will be surprising (unless readers have read the back cover blurb, which unfortunately contains many spoilers). The realistic message about the human heart's resiliency doesn't always fully merge with the science-fiction elements. (Science fiction/romance. 12-18)

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August 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-In the past, Addison Sullivan spent a summer falling in love with Zach, an aspiring movie producer who worked at the local movie store. The summer was perfect, with days filled with practicing her viola and any remaining time spent with Zach; it was more than she could have dreamed. In the present, things are not as pleasant. Addison has no memory of Zach and the perfect summer. When she meets a cute boy on a bus, the vehicle crashes and she cannot find him. But as she goes about her life, she runs into him at random times. She's the only one who can see him. Fearful she is going crazy or talking to a dead person, Addison starts looking for answers. But she may not be happy with what she finds out. It seems that her family and friends know more about her past than she does. What memories would you forget if you could? Everett seamlessly switches between past and present in an organic way. Readers will be rushing to the conclusion of this fast-paced thriller. VERDICT YA romance readers will enjoy this novel, which offers some suspense and a few twists along the way.-Jessica Strefling, US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Library

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 Before: Addison Sullivan is falling in love with Zach. After: Addison is in a bus accident and keeps seeing a mysterious guy from the crash wherever she goes. Before: Addison's viola music fills the lonely place inside of her, making her feel whole again. After: her parents' divorce has ruined the family, and home feels underwater. To finally solve all of her problems, Addison heads to the Overton Clinic for a memory treatment. This delightfully confusing narrative will have readers thinking they understand it, before it yanks the rug from underneath them. (They'll enjoy the tumble.) Everett gives readers sweet romance and solid friendships and then sprinkles on a pinch of sci-fi: a procedure that can erase painful memories. The implications of this procedure will leave readers pondering the way the way their hearts break and how they remember the ones they lost. Everett's story is an effective look at the kind of love you dream about and the kind you should never forget.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)