Now & When

May 15, 2020
A hackneyed premise with some solid emotional notes. Wealer's debut hovers uncertainly between rom-com, complete with a premise reminiscent of Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler's The Future of Us (2011), and a thoughtful portrayal of female friendship in a town where many are struggling after the close of the largest business. In predominantly white and straight Alton, Skyler's fortunate life--two best friends, a perfect boyfriend, and parents who are happily, albeit less profitably, reemployed after the mill's closing--has two major problems: best friend Harper's self-harm and hospitalization and glitchy phone updates from 11 years in the future indicating she's going to end up with insufferable (but attractive) Truman. The uneasy marriage of the two stories through the plot device of a possible demolition of a beloved community space never fully succeeds, leaving readers with the sense that two books are vying for center stage. Wealer sympathetically evokes her setting, especially the financial constraints of a one-business Midwestern town, and provides a likable cast but ends up with a reductive tale in which doing nothing would have accomplished the same end and in which the protagonist grows from being pushed by the handsome male lead while the supporting female friendship tale coasts to a happy ending on the coattails of the romance. Disappointing. (Fantasy. 12-16)

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June 19, 2020

Gr 8 Up-Skyler doesn't put a lot of effort into planning her future, but she is looking forward to going to prom with her boyfriend and being there for her best friends Harper and Jordan. Skyler is the complete opposite of her classmate Truman; everything he does gets him closer to his future goals, and Skyler finds him utterly unattractive. When Skyler starts getting mysterious Instagram notifications from 10 years in the future that show her married to Truman, she begins to question her decisions. Tracking the account, as well as her school's 10-year reunion website, she sees firsthand how choices made in the present affect the future. She becomes obsessed with the website, and how prom, the epicenter of the different futures, will play out. Most concerning is the future where Harper, who had been hospitalized in the present time line for trying to harm herself, is no longer alive. Skyler vows to do whatever it takes to ensure that future does not come true. This is a high school romance and coming-of-age story with a touch of magical realism. Since the novel is from Skyler's point of view, readers don't get as much perspective from Harper, even though protecting her is a driving force in Skyler's actions. VERDICT Purchase for young adult collections where books featuring social media are popular.-Marissa Lieberman, East Orange P.L., NJ

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