Layoverland

November 11, 2019
Sarcastic 17-year-old Bea’s “glass-half-empty” views have made everyone in her life an enemy, save for her little sister Emmy—her best friend. When Bea is killed in a head-on collision after a terrible fight with Emmy, she is dismayed to discover she is trapped in a layover for “mostly good people who are harboring secrets, fatal mistakes, and/or emotional hang-ups.” Folks in this purgatory must work out, by exploring their past memories, what is keeping the soul from self-realization and ascension. Bea, assigned to atone via the Memory Experience Department, must help 5,000 souls to heaven before moving on herself. When she is paired to help Caleb, the (cute) boy who caused both their deaths, she plots to hold him back. But between Caleb and her new roommate Jenna, Bea comes to learn that maybe not everyone is an enemy. Interspersing Bea and Emmy’s fight throughout the story, Noone seamlessly crafts her The Good Place–esque tale with spot-on details, such as how the dead appear exactly as they perished (makeup and all) forever. While Bea’s story is set entirely in Layoverland, her journey to letting down her defenses in order to accept love moves beyond it. Ages 14–up. Agent: Dana Murphy, the Book Group.

Narrator Sophie Amoss creates a youthful voice for 17-year-old Bea, who after dying tragically in a car accident is stuck in purgatory while waiting to ascend to heaven. While there, she is assigned to mentor another teen, Caleb, who doesn't know he was responsible for the car accident that took her life. Bea plans to keep him from leaving as punishment for ending her life prematurely, but as she learns more about him, her feelings soften, and she must decide whether she can forgive him. Amoss easily navigates from one character to the other, creating unique voices for each of the teens. Listeners who enjoy realistic characters and a touch of the unknown will be drawn to this story. M.D. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine