Almost Impossible

April 23, 2018
After her single mother’s rock band hits it big and goes on tour, Jade stays put for the summer in California with her extremely overprotective aunt. Jade has moved from place to place with her mother’s band since she was a baby and she wants to know what a stable life is like. Soon, she has a pink bedroom, a job at the neighborhood pool, and a sort-of boyfriend, Quentin. Williams (Trusting You & Other Lies) adds many layers to Jade’s life: Jade wants to know the father she’s never met, she’s struggling with her aunt’s rules, she misses her mother, and she knows that the seemingly perfect Quentin has secrets. The narrative stays squarely on the emotional surface, saving the unfolding events—especially the reveals about Quentin—from falling into melodrama, but readers may wish that Williams devoted a little more time and space to exploring Jade’s feelings about all of her recent life changes. Still, Quentin shows himself to be a worthy partner, and their ultimately satisfying romance makes for a breezy summer read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

Narrator Phoebe Strole channels Jade's summer of first love and her search for her birth father. Strole embodies Jade's quirky likability as she finds a whole new life in suburban California, where she's now living under her aunt's roof, having left her mom, a rock star. Jade's ideas of normal flip when she falls for Quentin Ford, a handsome and responsible lifeguard whom Strole portrays with flirtatious sarcasm. Hints of Strole's verbal dexterity peek through as Jade embraces her expanding circle of friends and family. When Jade learns Quentin's secret, Strole balances Jade's na�vet� and hurt with an earnestness that seems true to character. Reliably expressive and tender, this audiobook fits the bill for a romantic teen listen. E.A.N. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine