Almost, Maine

March 13, 2020

Gr 9 Up-Cariani transforms his popular play into a fully realized YA novel of interconnected vignettes. The third-person narration opens on Ginette and Pete going to look at the stars in their hometown of Almost. Although they are beginning to fall in love, a verbal spat leads to Ginette's leaving. Every subsequent chapter is a two-person vignette, a short story informed by her walk home past various locations. The couples experience the joys and struggles of love, with a magical realism bent, and not all the stories end happily. Of the ten couples featured-one more than found in the play, and including LGBTQ+ representation-only two characters are teenagers, so this may require some handselling to get YAs to fully connect with the stories. It will be worth it. VERDICT For New Adult sections, theater enthusiasts, and born romantics, a charming and whimsical collection.-Nancy McKay, Byron Public Library, IL

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