Soulstruck

Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Rachel Ferguson, a white teen, thought she was over her fixation on getting struck by lightning, but after her heart is broken by the boy she hoped was her soul mate, Rachel begins to seek out storms again. When her mother was struck, Rachel's mom gained the ability to see soul mates and started a group for lighting-strike survivors. Rachel's best friend, Serena, one of the only African Americans in town, has bafflingly ditched her for the cheerleaders and her growing mutual attraction with her friend Jay, who is on the autism spectrum, has left her reeling. The only things the protagonist can focus on is moving her room to the garage before the next survivors' meeting and finding out what's in the mysterious box she discovered there. This realistic contemporary novel is a slice of teenage life that depicts struggles with friendship, attraction, parents, and the ability to communicate. The novel's pacing fluctuates at times with occasional bursts of background information that provide enlightenment and has an overall contemplative tone. Characters appear genuine and accurately represented with lifelike imperfections and unique personalities. The question of soul mates comes up repeatedly as a central theme, with the main character desperately wanting to know who hers is and her mother refusing to find out.