Whenever I'm With You

November 14, 2016
Gabi Flores and her father gave up sunny Los Angeles for Anchorage, Alaska, to escape the glare of her starlet mother’s scandalous affair. When her boyfriend, Kai, takes off unexpectedly in search of his father, Gabi braves the wilderness alongside his twin brother, Hunter, to rescue him. A nod to Into the Wild foreshadows the challenges ahead, including blinding snowstorms, brushes with hypothermia, and terrifying animal encounters. Debut author Sharp uses the great outdoors to turn prissy, high-strung Gabi into a stronger, more self-reliant version of herself, introducing Vicki—a rambunctious survivalist with a knack for hunting and the means to procure snowmobiles and a plane when they’re needed—as a foil. While the romantic dialogue between Gabi and Kai can be sugary sweet, the plot packs plenty of harrowing surprises—Gabi initially believes that Kai’s father simply abandoned the family when he’s actually presumed to be dead, for example—to keep readers turning pages. It’s a gripping wilderness adventure with sturdy romantic underpinnings. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary.

December 1, 2016
When SoCal native Gabi moves to Alaska, she expects to always be a fish out of water, but in just a short time, she learns to call the frozen tundra home.In an effort to escape the paparazzi, hungry for gossip about her movie-star mother's recent divorce, Latina Gabi and her father move to Anchorage to hide out until the storm passes. There Gabi meets her next-door neighbor Kai. His joyful energy keeps Gabi from depression as winter approaches. But when he disappears, she must turn to his reclusive twin, Hunter, for help. Together they piece together Kai's plan--to find their Tlingit father in the wilderness. The only problem is that Kai and Hunter's father has been dead for nearly a year. They decide to follow Kai, unsure of what they will find. While the story of the healing power of love rings true, the cascade of events that leads two Alaska natives into the wilderness with no food, no phone, and no plan is unlikely. And while Gabi might be more at home on the beach than in the Arctic, her ignorance is annoyingly over-the-top. A hopeful premise damaged by an improbable plot and unlikely characters. (Fiction. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2017

Gr 7-10-Gabi and her father have moved to Alaska, a world away from their lavish, paparazzi-worthy lifestyle in Los Angeles. The anger and resentment Gabi feels toward her mother for ending her parents' marriage are second only to the isolation she experiences in the remote, cold landscape of her new home. Her father remains emotionally unavailable to her as he grieves the loss of his marriage and his career as a lawyer. Gabi finds solace in her relationship with local guy Kai, who has shared his home, family, and friends with her. But when Kai disappears under mysterious circumstances, Gabi turns to his twin, Hunter, to help her locate Kai before a winter storm hits the area. The effort to trace his route results in a dangerous trek across wild Alaskan terrain during a blizzard. The plot moves at an even pace with bursts of tension as the teens encounter various threats, including wild animals and hypothermia. The supporting characters are well-developed, and the survivalist elements are authentic. Teens may have trouble accepting the premise for Kai's journey as well as the speedy resolutions to the dangerous situations, and Gabi's internal monologue, especially regarding her feelings for her mother and Kai, drags at times. Still, the excitement of the expedition may be enough to keep some readers engaged. VERDICT This is a secondary purchase for collections in need of chaste romances with a dash of adventure.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.