More than anything, seventeen-year-old Emmy loves mountain biking, which helped her cope after the cancer death of long-time friend and crush, Lucas. Now, though, life has grown even more difficult. She left the biking club she founded when Cole ousted her as captain; she can never beat her nemesis, Whitney, in races; and worst of all, her mother has early onset Alzheimer’s. Coping by pushing everyone away and biking even harder, Emmy finds it hard to resist her best friend Kelsie’s positive influence and Cole’s obvious interest. Although she reluctantly gives in to Cole’s charm and kindness, Emmy still finds it impossible to let her mother back in—until fate takes a hand and Emmy’s life changes drastically once again. This is a great book for lovers of mountain biking, romance, and complex family issues. The biking descriptions are visceral and action-packed, and the romance is sweet and mostly mild, with only a few passionate kisses. Grumpy Emmy is totally believable, though Cole is a bit too perfect—his calling her out on her rudeness is a strong moment, though. There is not much information on Alzheimer’s provided, and only a few moments of seeing its effects on Emmy’s mother, as Emmy’s believably selfish reactions and her emotional growth are the focus. The final twist, though, felt gratuitous—as if the author did not quite know how to end the story, so opted for dramatic tragedy that felt out of place. Hand to fans of Sarah Dessen.—Rebecca Moore. Switching Gears is a coming-of-age novel that many teens will be able to relate to because Emmy faces many unexpected obstacles on the path to reaching her goals, and must make many hard choices—including whether to open up her heart or not. Sedgwick writes a story of heart-break and romance, with a twist of sarcasm that leaves the reader dying for the next page. 3Q, 4P.—Kate Lawson, Teen Reviewer.

Emmy grapples with the death of her first love, a potential new boyfriend, and her mom's diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. This companion to Love, Lucas (2015) follows Emmy, Lucas' childhood friend and secret love. Though they never actually dated, the pair confessed their love a week before Lucas died. Unsurprisingly, a mere four weeks later, Emmy is unwilling to give handsome, hazel-eyed Cole a chance at romance. Emmy spends lots of time rebuffing Cole's attempts at friendship and romance, especially when she's further devastated by her mother's diagnosis. Mountain biking becomes her outlet, and conveniently, Cole—a sponsored rider himself—uses this shared interest to encourage Emmy to become more emotionally available. Also helping push romance is Emmy's best friend, Kelsie, who reminds Emmy, "It's okay to move on. He'd [Lucas] want that." It may be sage advice, but considering Lucas died only four weeks earlier, expecting her to be ready for new love feels awfully premature. But what is youth if not resilient? A few weeks later Cole has managed to gently persuade Emmy to leave behind her fear of loss, and the two are happily dating. And then catastrophe strikes, ramping the melodrama level up even further. Luckily for Emmy (and readers), a quick epilogue provides easy resolutions. The cast appears to be a largely white one. Best for fans of three-hanky weepers. (Romance. 12-16)

Gr 7 Up-This companion novel to Love, Lucas centers on 17-year-old Emmy Martin. It's been one month since Lucas, Emmy's best friend and secret love, passed away, and she is trying to cope with the loss. Emmy hopes that mountain biking will help her forget, but she can't drown out her memories, and she's not ready to talk about Lucas or forget about him. Then her parents deliver a devastating blow: Emmy's mom has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Emmy throws herself into mountain biking harder than ever, hoping to ignore what Alzheimer's will do to her mom and their family. Her goal is to win a big race and get sponsored. Her nemesis, Cole Evans, offers to help her hone her biking skills. Will Emmy take the chance to open up to someone new and accept her life circumstances? Emmy is a sympathetic, believable character, and while Sedgwick shows her coping believably with grief, she keeps the focus on the big race Emmy is training for, along with her growing relationship with Cole. The secondary characters are distinct, but since the story is told from a first-person point of view, Emmy is the main concern. VERDICT Not a first purchase. Recommend this to fans of Sedgwick's Love, Lucas and those who like realistic fiction with a hopeful ending. Natalie Struecker, Atlantic Public Library, IA