Starred review from February 5, 2018
After being brought together by an accident in New York City’s Central Park, three struggling teenagers form a fast, powerful friendship in Forman’s elegant and understated novel, which alternates between their day together and flashback sections that carefully expose her characters’ losses. Freya, a singer on the cusp of stardom, has lost her voice, her sister, and her father. Harun has been dumped by the boyfriend he’s terrified to tell his Muslim family about. And Nathaniel has landed in New York City alone, leaving behind an unpredictable father incapable of caring for him. Forman (If I Stay) occasionally references the parable of the boiling frog, in which a frog in a pot of water doesn’t notice a gradual increase in temperature and is eventually cooked to death. In some ways, she performs a similar trick: readers may be so caught up in the intensity and warmth of the bond Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel form that they’re caught off guard by their story’s final act. But readers won’t finish the novel lost or bereft; this is a celebration of the lifesaving power of human connection. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
May 28, 2018
With varying degrees of success, three actors lend their voices to the audio edition of Forman’s YA novel. The story centers on three young adults, all hurting in unseen ways, who stumble upon one another in Central Park and become ad hoc family over the course of a single day. The standout performance comes from actor Malhotra, who sounds entirely believable as Harun, a closeted teen who has kept his personal life hidden from his Pakistani immigrant parents for fear of hurting them. He is a diehard fan of up-and-coming singer Freya, the female member of the trio. Actor Lewis is convincing as Freya, whose gravelly speaking voice is feisty and confident, but she falters when providing dreadful accents for Freda’s fast-talking English music manager and Ethiopian father. The third performance, by veteran YA narrator Crouch as Freya’s love interest Nathaniel, is quietly effective as he inhabits an introverted character who opens up as he grows closer to Freya and Harun over the course of the book. There are lovely moments, but the performances never come together to form a cohesive whole. Ages 14–up. A Viking hardcover.