Like It Never Happened

April 27, 2015
There’s more drama offstage than onstage for high-school thespian Rebecca Rivers in this sharp-witted debut novel, which traces several crises in her junior year. First, there is the issue of Rebecca breaking her pact with her small circle of actor friends by becoming romantically involved with a boy within the group; then Rebecca’s estranged older sister, Mary, suddenly returns home to announce her engagement to a professional golfer. But most traumatic of all are the false rumors being spread around school that could destroy both Rebecca and the entire drama department. Balancing masterful comedic timing with a thoughtful presentation of controversial topics, first-time novelist Adrian’s writing brims with authenticity and compassion. Highly visual scenarios, such as Rebecca’s parents’ awkward reunion with their rebellious-daughter-turned-mainstream-fiancée, are priceless (“Mom was pretty desperate to meet the fiancé, whereas Dad was content to watch old recordings of Jeffrey’s most crucial golf moments”), and the messages about peer, teacher, and family relationships are evergreen. Readers will easily relate to Rebecca, who combats many obstacles without losing her passion for the stage. Ages 14–up. Agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writers House.

Starred review from March 15, 2015
Budding actor Rebecca Rivers knows who she is and where she's going; she's also shadowed by an old, unearned middle school reputation that refuses to die.Getting the lead in every school play, the only actor exempt from the director's caustic criticism, Rebecca knows she's envied by some, but her theater cohort-the Essential Five -has her back, right? But as rumors based on her past resurface and affect her intensifying relationship with Charlie Lamb, she finds there's a lot she doesn't know about her fellow thespian overachievers. Tensions mount as floating rumors accrete to and harm a faculty member. Meanwhile, getting to know her estranged sister, Mary, prompts Rebecca to question her own assumptions and their provenance. In the standard-issue teen-lit template-present-tense narration, narrowly focused time span, text larded with brand names and cultural icons-the past is an afterthought, viewed in brief flashbacks. Here, time passes, opening up new narrative possibilities. Rebecca's understanding of those around her and her place among them evolves over several years, giving both her and readers access to retrospective wisdom. Her world's sculpted by contemporary culture's relentless pace, lack of privacy, and unprecedented need-and ability-to label and respond to every transient permutation of human behavior. Theater's the single constant in Rebecca's life, a prism through which to interpret life for others and for herself. Original and intriguing; a powerful debut. (Fiction. 14-18)

March 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Beautiful and talented Rebecca Rivers is the star of her high school's theater department. She, along with four other thespians, who call themselves The Essential Five), take the stage and their roles very seriously. But being the star has a dark side. Many of her classmates think Rebecca is untouchable, a golden child who is somehow immune to critique from the demanding director. Then the protagonist and her leading man, the handsome and charismatic Charlie, begin dating. From the outside, her life seems to be something out of a fairy tale. But as Rebecca grows as an artist, she also matures in her relationships in the real world, and she realizes that performance isn't just actors on a stage. Intermingled with past trauma, a fraught home life-including a sister she hardly knows-a boyfriend who isn't always who he appears to be, and a disastrous false accusation, Rebecca's story is about complex interpersonal relations for which there are no easy answers. Readers are shown from the start that she is serious and thoughtful but a bit shortsighted. VERDICT This title will satisfy thinking readers, namely fans of E. Lockhart and of realistic teen fiction that invokes drama without melodrama.-Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 They call themselves the Essential Five, a group formed through performances in high-school plays and cemented when they all agree to keep their friendship uncomplicated by never dating another member of the group. But when Rebecca begins to feel more than friendship for Charlie and thinks he might feel the same, the Five's future may be threatened. Over summer break, Rebecca and Charlie will be together every day as camp counselors, portending even more relationship change. But what begins as a story of teen romance soon develops into much more: another student reports that Rebecca and her theater teacher have been seeing each other, and reputations are in danger of being ruined forever. The Essential Five becomes the Essential Four, with Rebecca feeling isolated from her friends and family. Adrian's debut explores a complicated web of relationships: How can something that seems so perfect descend so quickly into a mess of deception, betrayal, and revenge? For readers who enjoyed E. Lockhart's Dramarama (2007) and Raina Telgemeier's Drama (2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)