School Library Journal (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Gr 9 Up-A few days after Jessie (who is white) told her boyfriend (who is black) that they needed to take a break, he is reported missing. His mother thinks he has run away; the police think he may have jumped into the river and drowned. Jessie knows these theories cannot be true. She thinks he was murdered, and has a good idea who did it. Nobody but Jessica knows that Chris was badly beaten up recently. Even though he says it was just because other players from his baseball team were jealous of his Division 1 scholarship offer, Jessie thinks it was racially motivated. Told through flashes of the past and present, Jessie searches for where Chris may have gone, not wanting to believe the worst. She starts to regret that she never returned the love letters he wrote her. Despite the length, the story touches on a few promising concepts but does not dig deeply to truly bring the characters or story to life. The pacing moves a bit too slowly to be engaging as a mystery or thriller, and the plot drags a bit in the middle but rushes to an unsatisfying conclusion. The narrative tries to discuss racism, but only explores it at the surface level. Even though Jessie is the narrator, the story focuses so much on Chris, readers do not get to know her. VERDICT A promising premise that ultimately falls flat. Recommended for large collections. Carli Sauer, Carmel Middle School, IN

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A few weeks after getting jumped by boys from a rival town, a black student disappears, causing his white girlfriend to assume the worst.Jessie is devastated by the disappearance of her boyfriend, Chris, and becomes increasingly suspicious of foul play. Jessie is a white girl from a poor neighborhood. Chris is a model student, a pacifist, and a talented athlete—and he happens to be African-American. The plot builds on an intriguing series of clues, exploring gender and racial hate crimes, drug addiction, freak accidents, and mental illness. The book's strength lies in the normalization of their love story, and while race is often a factor in their relationship, the issues they face ring deep and true. When his mother describes Chris, one of the few black students in the town, to the local police, Jessie remarks, "You should tell them that he has a dimple." Jessie is so clearly not racist, remembering Chris by his idiosyncrasies—how he likes "retro candy," for instance—and yet she too can fall prey to the most basic assumptions. The premise, that the book is one long letter from Jessie to the missing Chris, displays the essential contrivance of the epistolary form, yet Purcell handles the nuances of interracial relationships with a remarkably sensitive and observant eye and challenges readers to view racism under a broader category of generalizations.A poignant interracial love story that grapples with hate and violence. (Thriller. 12-16)

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A few weeks after getting jumped by boys from a rival town, a black student disappears, causing his white girlfriend to assume the worst.Jessie is devastated by the disappearance of her boyfriend, Chris, and becomes increasingly suspicious of foul play. Jessie is a white girl from a poor neighborhood. Chris is a model student, a pacifist, and a talented athlete—and he happens to be African-American. The plot builds on an intriguing series of clues, exploring gender and racial hate crimes, drug addiction, freak accidents, and mental illness. The book's strength lies in the normalization of their love story, and while race is often a factor in their relationship, the issues they face ring deep and true. When his mother describes Chris, one of the few black students in the town, to the local police, Jessie remarks, "You should tell them that he has a dimple." Jessie is so clearly not racist, remembering Chris by his idiosyncrasies—how he likes "retro candy," for instance—and yet she too can fall prey to the most basic assumptions. The premise, that the book is one long letter from Jessie to the missing Chris, displays the essential contrivance of the epistolary form, yet Purcell handles the nuances of interracial relationships with a remarkably sensitive and observant eye and challenges readers to view racism under a broader category of generalizations.A poignant interracial love story that grapples with hate and violence. (Thriller. 12-16)

ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

With her senior year almost over, Jessie has her future mapped out. But she didn't account for Chris, her currently-taking-a-break-but-not-really-broken-up-from boyfriend, to go missing. Compelled to tell him everything she is thinking and feeling, she starts writing to Chris over the course of his disappearance. Readers, then, begin making connections regarding who Chris is as a person, as Jessie reveals details involving friends, family, and the boys who beat up Chris. Readers will also gain insight into Jessie as she struggles with guilt and her unsupportive mother, and hides from her friends exactly how poor she is. To Purcell's credit, Jessie's self-absorption shines through loud and clear, and it takes her friends pulling her out of her wallowing for her to confront a painful truth. This blend of fascinating characters and a smart mystery presents an intriguing look at an unhealthy first love, mental health, race, and coping with tragic circumstances.