Happily and Madly

March 15, 2019
A fortuneteller once warned Maris Brown that she would find love and be dead before age 18--could this be the fateful summer?Maris' summer with her father's new family is supposed to be a break from the trouble she'd been getting into back in Phoenix, where she lives with her mother. But when she stumbles into a dangerous encounter on an island, she finds herself immersed in a game of intrigue that reaches closer to her and her family than she ever suspected. To complicate things even more, she finds herself falling for the boy her stepsister is dating, Edison, who is part of an ultrarich family that treats the Browns to expensive parties, boat rides, and days on the beach. Can Maris figure out a way to protect her family and her love without sacrificing herself? Bass' (What's Broken Between Us, 2015, etc.) descriptions of lavish parties and rich people are as tantalizing as the fresh lobster they consume. However, the plot is by turns too convenient and too hazy while the characters, all coded as white, seem stuck in their roles. There is no sense of lessons learned or even avoided--instead, the main characters remain static from beginning to finish despite the onslaught of revelations they are dealt toward the end.An uneven look at the ways money doesn't guarantee freedom. (Thriller. 13-16)

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July 12, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Maris has been sent off to spend the summer in a New England seaside town with her estranged dad and his new family. Despite the challenging circumstances, Maris is determined to make it the best summer ever, dreaming of an exciting romance, beach days with her new stepsister Chelsea, and maybe even healing her relationship with her dad. Everything seems to be unfolding perfectly when Maris meets a mysterious boy named Finn, who is both dangerous and refreshingly honest. Then Maris discovers that Finn's real name is Edison, and he's none other than Chelsea's enormously wealthy long-term boyfriend. Maris and Edison continue to see each other in secret even as her feelings of guilt and doubt grow. When Maris finally realizes that Edison is involved in a dark web of criminal activity, she works to uncover the truth about him and his family and protect those she loves. Bass is at her best in capturing both Maris's pain over the estranged relationship with her dad, and the freedom and joy she discovers with Edison. The convoluted mystery plot seems tacked on and detracts from what is an otherwise satisfying examination of complex relationships and self-discovery. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy the machinations of complicated family and romantic relationships; mystery and thriller fans can skip it.-Kelsy Peterson, Forest Hill College, Melbourne, Australia

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2019
Grades 8-12 Maris Brown has a chance to earn back the trust of her mother and father?hopefully. But after being shipped off to spend time with her dad's new family, the New Browns, it takes almost no time at all for Maris to get back into trouble. When she wanders off during a day at the beach, she witnesses a young man being chased, beaten, and almost killed, but she quickly learns that the man, Edison, is actually someone her dad's family knows. The more Maris and Edison get to know about each other, the more the twisted lies they deal in begin to unravel. Why was Edison being chased in the first place? Why is Maris so unwilling to let others get to know her? This lush and slow-burning mystery by Bass (Love and Other Theories, 2014; What's Broken between Us, 2015) is intoxicating, exhilarating, and will enthrall young readers and mystery fans alike. Readers will be hard-pressed to unravel the mystery before the last page.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)