Spencer Sandoval has it all…until she doesn’t. In the aftermath of a car crash that leaves one young boy dead and her ex-boyfriend accused, Sandoval is hurting inside and out and the author doesn’t shy away from detailing her anguish.
Although she’s as much a victim of the accident as the poor dead boy, she’s ostracized, whispered about, speculated upon and stared at, especially since she’s shown up to school with a service dog at her side. Spencer is a black girl and yet she’s headed for great things. She’s got her sights set on NASA and, with her gritty determination, high grades, scholastic brilliance, endless ability to excel, she seems a sure candidate to being an astronaut.
But, as is typical, there are those who resent her success, sneer at her rewards and are jealous of her boyfriend Ethan Amoroso, another example of shining rich-boy, white privilege. She’s a teacher’s pet and other students always hate those.
Since she’s conducting an investigation of her own, it forms a handy guide to the people around her and they are as complicated as she is. From the local drug dealer to the golden boy who died, everyone has ugly secrets and a side to their personalities that cause Spencer to see others in a new light and to wince at how they perceive her. Resentment, bitterness and hatred are seething under these people’s facades and we see the list of suspects dwindle until we wonder if there’s a real culprit at all or if it’s just in Spencer’s mind.
As Spencer digs into what happened that night and strives to fill the holes in her post-traumatic amnesia, we get a portrait of a very driven girl, with all the pros and cons you might expect to find from such an A-list personality. Spencer’s eagerness tips into obsession, causing her to snap at her parents, withdraw from her friend, pull away from a possible new romance, neglect her appearance and her dog and succumb to addiction from painkillers.
The novel is set firmly in the internet milieu with much of the “action” taking place online as much as it does in real life. We witness a stark contrast between Spencer’s grim resolve to get at the truth and the lackadaisical yet scathing commentary from online shock jock Peyton Salt. Salt sees herself as a good journalist but she’s not; she’s a shallow, sensationalistic tabloid reporter. She’s not interested in digging for veracity but in presenting a story, in pandering to the rabid desires of her equally vapid-minded listeners. She’s got a story with stock roles—hero, villain, victim, saint, romantic lead—and she wishes to force people into these slots. She’s judged Ethan, the wealthy boy behind the wheel of the totaled car, as guilty before being proven innocent and she’s firm in presenting this narrative to her eager listeners.
The truth, with its shocking denouement, stuns the reader and shows how easily the roles of good guys and bad guys can be flipped. The narrative yanks us and Spencer over the coals until we practically share her every mood shift. This is a heady story filled with romance, thrills, danger, excitement, brilliance and emotion. For people who like their YA stories with a twist, this definitely fits the bill.
Although she’s as much a victim of the accident as the poor dead boy, she’s ostracized, whispered about, speculated upon and stared at, especially since she’s shown up to school with a service dog at her side. Spencer is a black girl and yet she’s headed for great things. She’s got her sights set on NASA and, with her gritty determination, high grades, scholastic brilliance, endless ability to excel, she seems a sure candidate to being an astronaut.
But, as is typical, there are those who resent her success, sneer at her rewards and are jealous of her boyfriend Ethan Amoroso, another example of shining rich-boy, white privilege. She’s a teacher’s pet and other students always hate those.
Since she’s conducting an investigation of her own, it forms a handy guide to the people around her and they are as complicated as she is. From the local drug dealer to the golden boy who died, everyone has ugly secrets and a side to their personalities that cause Spencer to see others in a new light and to wince at how they perceive her. Resentment, bitterness and hatred are seething under these people’s facades and we see the list of suspects dwindle until we wonder if there’s a real culprit at all or if it’s just in Spencer’s mind.
As Spencer digs into what happened that night and strives to fill the holes in her post-traumatic amnesia, we get a portrait of a very driven girl, with all the pros and cons you might expect to find from such an A-list personality. Spencer’s eagerness tips into obsession, causing her to snap at her parents, withdraw from her friend, pull away from a possible new romance, neglect her appearance and her dog and succumb to addiction from painkillers.
The novel is set firmly in the internet milieu with much of the “action” taking place online as much as it does in real life. We witness a stark contrast between Spencer’s grim resolve to get at the truth and the lackadaisical yet scathing commentary from online shock jock Peyton Salt. Salt sees herself as a good journalist but she’s not; she’s a shallow, sensationalistic tabloid reporter. She’s not interested in digging for veracity but in presenting a story, in pandering to the rabid desires of her equally vapid-minded listeners. She’s got a story with stock roles—hero, villain, victim, saint, romantic lead—and she wishes to force people into these slots. She’s judged Ethan, the wealthy boy behind the wheel of the totaled car, as guilty before being proven innocent and she’s firm in presenting this narrative to her eager listeners.
The truth, with its shocking denouement, stuns the reader and shows how easily the roles of good guys and bad guys can be flipped. The narrative yanks us and Spencer over the coals until we practically share her every mood shift. This is a heady story filled with romance, thrills, danger, excitement, brilliance and emotion. For people who like their YA stories with a twist, this definitely fits the bill.