Like Never and Always

Gr 9 Up-Sixteen-year-old Olivia "Liv" Burnham wakes up after a terrible car crash to find herself in her best friend Morgan Frost's body. Suddenly thrust into a new life, Liv attempts to fake her way through by taking up Morgan's mantle of a seemingly invulnerable, aloof rich girl; however, the transition is far from seamless. The deeper she gets into Morgan's life, the more Liv begins to suspect that her best friend was hiding something big. A shocking discovery reveals Morgan's obsession with her mother's death as well as plans to take down a local politician named "Creepy Jack" Patterson. Unraveling these schemes leads Liv to wonder how well she really knew her best friend. This blend of suspense and personal reinvention will captivate those who have a predilection for disconcerting deeds and romantic indecision. As Liv deep dives into Morgan's world, author Aguirre uses clear, flowing prose to keep the intrigue level at a slow burn, all while dropping clues about the novel's explosive finale. Readers drawn to the story by the mind swap angle may be disappointed, as the brief explanation leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, emotional conflict enthusiasts will eagerly follow Liv's romantic indecision over Clay and Nathan, past and current boyfriends who just also happen to be brothers. The conclusion to that and all other plot threads are all resolved fairly predictably.