That Thing Formerly Known as My Life

SUSPENSE/THRILLER:  Uprooting your entire life and starting anew somewhere else is one of the hardest things McKinley has ever had to do. Moving to a new school and having to make new friends in senior year is horrible. When the popular queen bee has it out for her, her life gets even more complicated. And then there’s Nick, who is everything McKinley has dreamt of. But Nick is hiding secrets, and if McKinley wants a chance with him, she’ll have to find out what he’s hiding. 

McKinley is an easy character to connect with. She’s snarky, sometimes a little immature, sometimes laugh-out-loud hilarious, and sometimes adorable. Her issues will resonate with every teenager, from her complex dealings with her family to her potential romantic interests. She has plenty of flaws, but she also has some remarkable strengths that make her an intriguing protagonist. A twist at the end changes everything the reader thought they knew about the book, but in a good way. 

The book does suffer from a few young adult clichés:  absentee parents, some high school clichés like the popular kids versus the nerdy kids. Nevertheless, the writing was entertaining, and it makes for a solid young adult novel. 

Majanka Verstraete