Over You

May 6, 2013
A summer on a communal farm in Nebraska proves to be a turning/breaking point for 17-year-old best friends Max and Sadie in this sharp and memorable portrait of a one-sided relationship. Max welcomes the hippie residents (which include Sadie’s absentee mother), yurts, and grueling farm work, but Sadie—volatile, self-absorbed, and always the center of attention—quickly grows bored and irate. After Sadie is quarantined with mono, Max has even more freedom to explore her own thoughts, interests, and desires—including a love/hate crush on a surly older boy that surprises even Max, who typically dates girls. Reed (Crazy) powerfully demonstrates how 13 years of personal history weigh on Max, who has always been forced into the role of protector when it comes to Sadie. The author makes Max’s growing discontent concrete, as her narration shifts from addressing Sadie directly (“You float, serene, while I am the one burdened with memories”) to referring to her in the third-person. By book’s end, Sadie is still part of Max’s story, but she’s no longer the reason for it. Ages 14–up. Agent: Amy Tipton, Signature Literary Agency.

May 1, 2013
In Max and Sadie's friendship, wild Sadie is the one who has all the fun, while responsible Max deals with the consequences. Max has never questioned that dynamic, but she begins to see how one-sided their relationship is the summer before senior year, when they stay with Sadie's divorced hippie mom on an organic farm in Nebraska. Compared to Sadie, Max finds the other commune members kind and undemanding, and the mindless farm work is preferable to Sadie's manufactured drama. Max's burgeoning flirtation with bad-boy Dylan drives them even further apart. But their bond finally breaks the night a tornado leaves Max's life hanging in the balance with no Sadie in sight. Author Reed effectively portrays the end of an obsessive adolescent relationship through Max's precocious voice, which initially addresses itself directly to Sadie. As the story progresses, Max refers to Sadie by name instead of "you," demonstrating their growing distance: "Sadie, maybe this story isn't about you anymore." Less well-developed are the secondary characters that never rise above stereotype and neglected subplots involving both girls' parents and Max's bisexuality. The strained retellings of Greek myths inserted between each chapter that seem intended to deepen Max's character and to further illustrate the girls' troubled relationship only serve to interrupt Max's more compelling first-person narration. Teen girls who have experienced similar friendships will find this resonates; other readers probably won't. (Fiction. 14-17)

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July 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-After a few alcohol-fueled brushes with danger in Seattle, best friends Sadie and Max go to live on an organic farm commune in Nebraska with Sadie's mom for the summer before their senior year. Reliable and protective Max acts as a caregiver for wild-child Sadie. But when Sadie contracts mono and is quarantined for weeks, Max learns how to come out of her friend's shadow, and she even flirts with Dylan, the farm's bad boy. The rhythm and routine of daily farm chores help her begin to forget about her shattered home life. When Sadie recovers, Max is unwilling to go back to their old dynamics and tension grows between them. A life-threatening incident during a tornado forces Max to realize that her friendship with Sadie has run its course; she returns to Seattle to be by her drug-addicted mother's bedside. Sections between chapters relate tales about the flaws and faults of ancient gods and goddesses, which set the stage for the events to occur in the upcoming chapters. Reed keeps readers guessing about the true nature of Max and Sadie's relationship for some time. And while early on Max informs readers that she is bisexual-a fact referenced at various points during the story-her sexuality never becomes a focal point of the story. Overall, this is a captivating novel that will compel teens to reflect on the nature of their friendships.-Nicole Knott, Watertown High School, CT

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Grades 8-10 Max, a responsible 17-year-old, has always taken care of her erratic best friend, Sadie. When Sadie decides to spend the summer at a farming commune in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska, Max figures that she had better come, too. The girls are looking forward to their time together. Then they meet smoldering Dylan, who takes an interest in Max, and Sadie becomes threatened. Who will Max choose? At first, this seems as if it will be about Sadie's growth, but readers will be pleasantly surprised when it's quiet, kind Max who becomes empowered. This is a win for Reed, who delivers a fresh teen voice and an unexpected setting, both of which combine for an unpredictable read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)