My Best Friend, Maybe

Gr 10 Up—Colette and Sadie are former best friends who have not spoken in three years. Out of the blue, Sadie invites Colette to go with her family to Greece. The protagonist is supposed to go to Costa Rica with her boyfriend and members of his church but agrees to go change plans and go with her former friend—a decision made out of a mix of curiosity and feeling like Sadie's invitation is a challenge. Once in Greece, the girls try to set aside their complicated history. They revert to their childhood traditions of playing cards, swimming, and sharing old jokes. But pretending everything is fine is difficult, and Colette starts needling Sadie for answers about their falling out and why she really asked her on this trip. The answers are slow to come, and when the she hears them, they shake her world. Once the secrets are revealed, the teens fully begin to understand the years of hurt they caused one another. Their messy and complex friendship is a realistic look at the ways relationships can change and wither. The narrator's quest to be who she needs to be (not who her demanding mother, her virtuous boyfriend, or duplicitous Sadie need her to be) and Sadie's tentative steps toward honesty are poignant. Stunning descriptions of Greece and a small cast of well-developed secondary characters round out this affecting story about identity. Suggest this one to readers looking for an introspective take on the intricacies of friendship.—Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN