Goodbye, Perfect

November 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Bonnie has always been the perfect student. Her friend, Eden, has always been the opposite. Eden "sort of" knows that Bonnie has a secret boyfriend but would never in a million years think that this boyfriend would be their music teacher, Mr. John Cohn, or that they would run away together. When Eden receives a text from Bonnie relating that very thing, Eden feels obligated to keep her secret. When the police come to her house to question her, she denies knowing anything about Bonnie's plan to run away with Mr. Cohn or where they are now. Bonnie occasionally updates Eden about how she is and where she and Jack are. Eden feels the weight of not telling anyone what she knows, but she shuts down the conversation anytime her adoptive mom tries to talk to her. She comes up with a plan with her devoted boyfriend to find Bonnie and bring her home. While the narrative's even pace and fresh dialogue will engage teens, they will see the ending coming a mile away. The UK setting sets this apart from similar titles. VERDICT Recommended for purchase where Sarah Dessen, Jodi Lynn Anderson, and Morgan Matson are popular.-Jill Baetiong, Bloomingdale Public Library, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2018
Eden promised her best friend she'd keep her secret.From the moment they met, when Eden, a British girl of "indeterminate-but-not-quite-white-enough" appearance, was 7 and the new girl at school with a new foster family, white, bright, confident Bonnie has been her best friend, her port of safety, the steady counterpart to her wild side. Now Eden's 16, adopted by loving parents along with her biological younger sister and with a seemingly perfect older adoptive one. On the eve of their stressful GCSE exams, Bonnie, 15, sends Eden a text--she's run off with her boyfriend, Jack, whom Eden has not only never met, but has suspected of being imaginary. Turns out Jack is Mr. Cohn, their 29-year-old music teacher, and Bonnie's been having sex with him for months. Eden is horrified. But the only way she knows to repay Bonnie for her friendship is to stay silent, as days drag on and Bonnie continues to email Eden. Told entirely from Eden's complex, lovely point-of-view, the novel never explains Bonnie or her actions. Rather, it uses Bonnie's flight as a jumping-off point to explore Eden's ideas about perfection, love, and her places in her family and the world. Eden's healthy relationship with "sweet, quiet, and drama-free" boyfriend Connor is beautifully drawn, as is her growing realization that Bonnie's "good" background gives her leeway and sympathy Eden herself would never receive.Nuanced, compelling, honest, and important. (Fiction. 14-18)

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November 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Eden McKinley's best friend, Bonnie, has run away with a secret boyfriend, who turns out to be Bonnie's teacher, Mr. Cohn. The worst part of the situation is that Eden knows where Bonnie and Mr. Cohn are, but Bonnie has sworn her to secrecy. Determined to keep her friend's secret, Eden dodges questions from friends and family, as well as the police, about the fugitive couple's whereabouts. This tense situation forces Eden to rethink everything she thought she knew about Bonnie, herself, and those close to her. As in her previous novel Fragile like Us (2017), Barnard delves intriguingly into complex and insightful aspects of life that young adults face today: the pressure and desire to be perfect, as well as the resulting anxiety from such pressure. Main character Eden is complex yet endearing as she strives to overcome her own insecurities and a neglectful childhood in order to open up emotionally to those around her. A satisfying, emotional read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)