This Darkness Mine

Gr 10 Up—Sasha Stone is a Midwestern "good girl": a smart, college-bound band geek with a preppy boyfriend and a close circle of friends. After a few mysterious texts and personal memories she doesn't feel are her own, she finds a photograph uncovering a past she didn't know existed: she was a twin sister. With a strained family life, Sasha discovers more about her twin through an unlikely source: her twin, or rather, the heart of her twin. Through a process called fetal reabsorption, Sasha's heart is really her twin's. Shanna, who is not a good girl, is trying to communicate with Sasha, turning her world upside down and leading into a series of plot twists and turns, and a downward spiral from her perfect high school life. Shanna is craving the life she never had—desiring bad boy Isaac, sex, and life in the fast lane— which causes Sasha's grades to plummet, her friends and boyfriend to become distant, and worst of all, her loss of the first chair in band. More character development of "Good Sasha" would make for a better contrast in personalities, as well as make the later claims of manipulation against Sasha stronger; however, it is an interesting read which addresses family issues and mental health, while blending the elements of a psychological thriller.