If You Were Here

Gr 6–9—An ill-fated tale of a best-friends-forever duo. When Tabitha decides to join the popular crowd by hook or by crook, she turns her back on Tess. Tess foretells that her friend will die that night, but she cannot get Tabitha to listen, and Tabitha's plan for social mobility results in tragedy. Tess turns amateur sleuth and hounds the popular crowd with single-minded intent, certain that Tabitha died under unnatural circumstances. Complicating matters is Tess's mother, who has debilitating bipolar disorder, incurring the ridicule of the student body. Told in an effective, straightforward writing style, the plot-driven story will be enjoyed in one sitting by most readers. The early chapters imbue the novel with realistic paranoia, and readers will wonder whether the populars are accepting of Tess or are just manipulating her. Tess attempts to work out the populars' role in Tabitha's death while trying to answer the question of her and her popular friend Zoe's unnatural abilities. However, this semi-magical plot point is neither fully explored nor explained, casting some confusion on its relevance. What starts as a complicated study of psychology and the paranoia of teen dynamics warps into a whodunit that ends with an easy-to-spot conclusion. The book boasts quality writing but fizzles out with an uninspired ending that will leave readers mildly unsatisfied.