Optimists Die First

Starred review from December 5, 2016
The accidental death of Petula de Wilde’s younger sister, Maxine, has fractured her family, perhaps irrevocably. Her parents are retreating into their passions for books, music, and cats; Petula, who blames herself for Max’s death, has adopted the attitude that “tragedy can strike when you least expect it” and worries constantly about earthquakes, walking past construction sites, shaking hands, and catching rare diseases. Petula’s anxieties have landed her in youth art therapy (YART) at school, where she gets to know new student Jacob Cohen, a talented filmmaker with a bionic hand and his own tragic past. Grief and guilt permeate Nielsen’s (We Are All Made of Molecules) empathic and deeply moving story, balanced by sharply funny narration and dialogue. “It’s like a twisted version of The Breakfast Club,” says Jacob of YART, whose members struggle with bullying, substance abuse, and anger. Readers will be riveted by Petula’s rocky attempts to repair damaged relationships with her parents and a friend she drove away, connect with the members of YART, and open herself up to the idea of romance with Jacob. Ages 12– up. Agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists.

Starred review from November 1, 2016
Consumed with guilt over the death of her baby sister, a girl struggles simply to get through each day.Sixteen-year-old Petula blames herself for her sister's death, and perhaps as a result, she has developed a wide range of fears, even tracking freak deaths in a scrapbook. Her parents also struggle. Her mom is becoming an uncontrolled cat lady, with the current total at six. Her dad struggles to pay the bills, buy the cat food, and live despite his sadness. Forced to attend a group art-therapy class for emotionally disturbed teens, Petula meets Jacob, who lost his arm in a car crash that killed his two best friends and now has a prosthetic hand of which he is quite proud. At first she spurns him, but she's forced to work with him on a project, and the two eventually begin what appears to be a real romance. Jacob is a talented filmmaker, and they make a hilarious cat video, then more films that successfully help them recover from their anxieties. Yet despite appearances, it may be that Jacob's problems are worse than Petula's. Nielsen writes with sensitivity, empathy, and humor, believably lightening Petula's constant efforts to cope. Every character (most evidently white) comes across as a unique human being, however minor the part. Another lovely outing from Nielsen. (Fiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from November 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Vancouver teenager Petula de Wilde is aware that her personality is the very opposite of her last name. Since her sister died two years earlier, Petula constantly washes her hands, avoids construction sites (lest she get killed by falling stray metal), and scours the Internet for articles on random and accidental deaths to add to her scrapbook. She no longer pursues her many (more optimistic) craft projects, nor does she speak to her former best friend. Things begin to change after a new boy with a prosthetic arm shows up in her mandated art therapy classes. Jacob is gregarious, confident, and determined to make Petula come out of her shell. His enthusiasm for life and his ability with a camera pull them together and allow them both to heal, but is Jacob all that he seems? Will Petula and the other art therapy students be able to help Jacob as much as he has helped them? Nielsen has created a compelling, precociously paranoid protagonist and a bevy of wisecracking, heartwarming characters. But perhaps the novel's greatest strength is its handling of the characters' very real burdens with sympathy, wit, and not an ounce of melodrama. Nielsen excels at depicting troubled, clever teenagers in familiar environments. VERDICT Readers who are looking for a darker, more urban, but similarly hopeful Sarah Dessen novel will find it in this poignant book.-Evelyn Khoo Schwartz, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2016
Grades 8-12 Petula is a pessimist or, as she prefers to view it, prepared. She knows stats on freak deaths and is taking precautions to make sure another tragedy like her sister's death never sneaks up on her again. When Jacob shows up in her art therapy group, she couldn't be less interested. Yet, Petula's attitude begins to change when she's paired with him for a school project, and she finally allows herself to open up to someone again. Their romantic relationship is sweet but underdeveloped, making the strongest aspect of the story the growth seen in the quirky, yet endearing, misfits of Petula's art therapy group. Readers will be captivated by Petula's journey, as she tries to overcome her grief-driven obsessions and anxieties and reconnects with her friends, family, and hobbies. Heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a solid choice for readers looking for a book to make them cry and laugh at the same time. Recommend to teens who enjoyed Tamara Ireland Stone's Every Last Word (2015).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)