After a tragic day on a lake--when Lark must choose between saving either Alec, the guy she likes, or Annabelle, an almost-five-year-old she knows--Lark's life splits in two. In one version, Alec is in a coma; in a parallel reality, Annabelle is the one hospitalized. The Sliding Doors premise, though occasionally difficult to follow, offers a unique perspective on grief and loss.

Lark's boyfriend, Alec, is injured trying to rescue Annabelle, the 4-year-old Lark used to babysit, and both are drowning; when she's unable to choose whom to save, Lark's world splits in two.Seventeen-year-old Lark and her father still miss her mother, who died from cancer three years ago. Lark's close cohort of friends include musicians in the band she plays in and writes songs for. For the Lark who chose to save Alec, their relationship quickly becomes all-consuming. She brushes off her friend Lucy and the band to free climb buildings, longboard, and canoodle with Alec. The adrenaline rush helps her cope with little Annabelle's hospitalization. Visiting Annabelle, now comatose, propels Lark into her alternative self and a world where Alec lies comatose and Annabelle thrives. Here, Lark maintains her friendships and progresses as a songwriter, while her growing shoplifting habit reflects her anxiety about Alec's dire prognosis. In both worlds, mysterious cellphone messages and videos nudge Lark toward solving the riddle, but time is running out for Alec, whose parents plan to end life support soon. Pedestrian characters reflecting overfamiliar YA stereotypes, Lark especially, weigh down a suspenseful narrative that's timidly executed just when it needs to take flight. All characters are white except band member Reid, the son of Iraqi refugees.An eerie, intriguing premise and fast-moving plot hampered by clichéd characters and a flat resolution. (Paranormal romance. 14-17)

Gr 9 Up-The author's descriptive style is introspective and on point in her latest. The story of Lark begins on a normal day with extraordinary circumstances; she must make a choice between saving Alec, her date, or Annabelle, the girl she used to babysit. Faced with an impossible choice, Lark lives parallel lives in which she must face the consequences of each decision. While battling for her sanity, Lark explores the dual lives she createdone with friends and family and one with the love of her life. Kuipers explores several themes, including the death of a parent, friendship, love, sex, music, high school, addiction, and violence. The author crafts realistic characters that teens will find relatable. The different threads sometimes get tangled up, but by the novel's close, Kuipers brings them together. The writing makes the book impossible to put down, especially with the use of original metaphors, different ephemera, and alternating story lines. VERDICT A highly addictive page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the very end. A strong choice for high school libraries. Christina Paolozzi, Bonaire Elementary School, GA