Never Let You Go

November 1, 2012
Never underestimate the fury of a teen scorned. It's been one year since Megan admitted to grinding and making out with Mike, best friend Anna's boyfriend, while Anna was out of the country. Although Megan has worked hard to win back Anna's trust, she still feels some subtle tension. Anna insists she's over the betrayal and has even invited Megan to be a summer farmhand with her on her uncle's organic farm. Despite Anna's over-the-top flirtation with fellow hand Jordan, his heart is set on Megan. As Megan, still guilty from her earlier transgression and indebted to Anna for saving her from becoming their school's social outcast, tries--unsuccessfully--to ignore Jordan's and her own feelings, Anna's reality slowly unravels. At Anna's first mention of a razor blade, it's easy to see where this psychological thriller is headed. But just how and where Anna, a ticking time bomb, will explode keeps readers riveted. Along the way to the satisfyingly creepy ending, the quick, evenly paced narration explores the factors leading to Anna's breakdown and how Megan's angst allows her to be manipulated by her supposed BFF. The author of Still Waters (2011) offers another suspenseful tale with plenty of appeal. (Thiller. 14 & up)

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January 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-When shy, introspective Megan lets her hair down at a high school party, things go too far and she ends up making out with her domineering best friend's boyfriend. A year later, Anna has forgiven Megan, inviting her to spend the summer with her at her uncle's farm. In somewhat heavy-handed foreshadowing, Anna is painted as highly unstable from the very start ("Anna's presence was like a firework-sizzling, bright, colorful"), teasing Megan far beyond the bounds of friendship, basking in any male attention that comes her way, and falling fast (very, very fast) for Jordan, another summer worker. It's no surprise that the sparks between Megan and Jordan send Anna into a jealous rage. As she becomes more and more unhinged, the book's tone shifts from realistic thriller to B-horror-movie farce. The predictable plot elements and psychologically underdeveloped characters may keep Never Let You Go from truly gripping readers.-Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

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