From What I Remember....

Gr 9 Up—On the morning of her high school graduation, valedictorian Kylie Flores wakes up in Mexico next to gorgeous and popular Max Langston with no recollection of how she got there. What follows is an account of the 48 hours leading up to her rude awakening. Told in the alternating voices of Kylie; her flamboyantly gay best friend, Will; her brother, Jake, who has Asperger's; Max; and his catty girlfriend, Lily, the story is pieced together. The authors touch upon many hot-button topics (homosexuality, crime, immigration, underage drinking, and family troubles) that would generally cause a story to suffer from a lack of focus, but, interestingly enough, it works here. There are definite holes in the plot, but the quick pace and the hot-and-cold relationship between Kylie and Max will keep readers interested and rooting for them until the very end. Far from flawless, the characters seem real. While Kylie's uptight yet impulsive girl-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks is a walking contradiction at times—how does such a smart girl neglect to back up her work-in-progress screenplay?—readers can't help but identify with her insecurities and defense mechanisms. What could have been a cliché-riddled teen romp turns out to be a fun, adventurous, and romantic side trip into those final days of high school—Audrey Sumser, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH