If You Wrong Us

Gr 9 Up—High school seniors Becca and Johnny are an unusual couple: she's a super-smart recluse, and he's been labeled a dumb jock. Their quickly escalating relationship was born of tragedy: Becca's twin sister and Johnny's mother were killed in the same car accident. But Becca knows it was not an accident, and she persuades Johnny to believe the same. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, and Becca and Johnny certainly take their time to plot against Travis, a fellow schoolmate who they're convinced intentionally caused the crash. The novel is at times a gripping page-turner and a thought-provoking primer on the merits of revenge. But there are a few missteps. Too many narrators muddle the plot: Becca and Johnny's points of view are featured in alternating chapters, which are sometimes broken up by sections of two more anonymous narrators. Extraneous characters and inauthentic teen dialogue also weigh down the story. And in the quest for revenge, Becca's and Johnny's actions and their ability to roam so freely without parents noticing anything amiss are not believable.