Sorry Not Sorry

February 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Janelle and Alyssa were best friends in middle school. Now in high school, at best, they are frenemies. The story takes place after a major hurricane has damaged parts of the community. The girls are helping to collect donations for the storm victims, albeit in different ways. Alyssa comes up with catchy marketing campaigns, while Janelle is more subdued. Alyssa runs with a group called the "Active Beauties." They have turned a simple clean-up event at a local park into something chaotic. Alyssa suddenly collapses at the event from a medical condition only known to Janelle and one other friend. Janelle is possibly the only person that can help save Alyssa, but it will mean having to make a choice that will impact her relationships with her current bestie, her family, and Alyssa. In addition to coping with Alyssa's sudden illness, Janelle's life become more complex when her grandmother invites her crush to stay with them while his mother recovers in the hospital from injuries during the storm. Reed explores common teen issues such as friendships, interracial relationships, and tough decision-making. The main characters have a great deal of substance to them while the writing is witty and would appeal to most teens. The story is easily relatable and captivating. VERDICT A worthy addition to YA library shelves, especially after recent years' superstorms.-Michelle Kornberger, Havenview Middle School, Memphis

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2018
Former best friends are forced to revisit the past after a life-or-death medical crisis.At first glance, Janelle and Alyssa couldn't be more different. Janelle is African-American, and for generations her family has been trying to save the world, one way or another. For her part, Janelle is leading the grass-roots relief efforts after a hurricane devastated their community. Homecoming queen Alyssa, who is white, leads the vapid mean-girl posse and cares more about fashion and her doting Asian-American boyfriend than anything else. Like oil and water, Janelle and Alyssa clash about everything, but things weren't always this way; the girls used to be best friends. They seem destined to remain at odds, until one day Alyssa collapses and is rushed to the hospital. Soon it's revealed that Janelle is the one person who can save Alyssa's life. But will the former friends bury old wounds as the clock ticks on Alyssa's chance of recovery? Told in Janelle's infectious, unforgettable voice, this story about friendship, forgiveness, and race is timely and refreshing. Janelle is irresistible as a whip-smart, funny, woke teen who cares about her family, diverse group of friends, and community. A budding romance with her longtime crush, Mateo, who is Latinx, rounds out Janelle's story. At once poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, with stellar dialogue and a fast-paced narrative, this story reminds us of the beautiful but complicated nature of true friendships. (Fiction. 12-18)

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December 15, 2018
Grades 7-10 When Alyssa's health begins a precipitous decline due to juvenile diabetes, she abruptly drops longtime BFF Janelle for a new set of friends who know her as indomitable, not frail and ill. Janelle is not privy to Alyssa's rationale at first, and reels from the rejection while still trying to understand just what is going on with her popular, queen bee former friend. When Alyssa reaches crisis stage with kidney failure, Janelle even steps in to offer a kidney donation. Reed avoids melodrama here, offering instead a layered, probing story of a close friendship and what happens to it when a health crisis intervenes. Both teens are vividly drawn and tackle their family issues, school matters, romances, other friendships, and, of course, social media with a lively aplomb that will engage readers. And while the dialogue on occasion can feel a little too wise and preachy, the packed tale that also deals with interracial friendship, small-town class stratification, and fascinating organ donation and surgery specifics still does not feel overwrought, just energetic and intriguing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)