Four Days of You and Me

Gr 9 Up–Every year on May 7, Coffee County High School students go on an exciting field trip paid for by the school’s endowment. Each year Lulu, a vegan, strong-willed, aspiring graphic novelist experiences a major move forward or backward in her relationship with the handsome star baseball player and perpetual class president, Alex Rouvelis. The trips become more elaborate as they inch closer to the end of their high school careers, but will true love keep Lulu and Alex together in the end? Short chapters and time jumps weave the narrative of Lulu and Alex’s tumultuous relationship over the years and will grab readers and keep them guessing. Each section is broken up by freshman year at the science museum and ending with their senior year on a trip to London. A huge reveal or fake-out happens at the beginning of each section, with flashbacks filling in the details as the main narrative emerges. It’s a little clunky at first, but smooths out by the end of the book. The dialogue sounds authentic, especially when the high schoolers are talking to their friends about relationships. Romantic and familial subtexts are sprinkled throughout the book, such as Lulu’s gay best friend finding love, and Alex’s best friend dealing with his parent’s divorce. However, the sweeping enemies-to-friends love story of Lulu and Alex always takes center stage.