ALA Booklist

What if you had to choose between the perfect guy and the perfect life? Every night at midnight, Sabine "shifts," getting pulled endlessly back and forth between two parallel but very different lives. One is defined by struggle: her parents work long hours to make ends meet, and Sabine's expectations of life are low. The other is defined by privilege: she drives an Audi and is starting Harvard in the fall. Exhausted by the constant stress of living an unwanted double life, Sabine begins a dangerous experiment, seeking a way to stop shifting. Just when it appears that she has found a solution, she meets Ethan, and choosing between lives suddenly becomes impossible. This psychological mystery will hook readers with its compelling protagonist and philosophical questions. Don't get caught up in the mechanics of shifting; it exists only as a point from which teens can explore classic themes of choice, responsibility, and self-actualization. This is perfect for readers who like to ponder life's deeper questions, and the romance adds a nice spark.

Horn Book

Every midnight, Sabine switches between her two lives--one of privilege, one of struggle. When she decides to risk everything to choose one life over the other, her plans are complicated by a mental hospital and a budding romance. The philosophical bent paired with a fast-paced plot make this a compelling psychological mystery; the characters' believable skepticism keeps the book grounded.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Every night just after midnight, Sabine -Shifts- between two lives, living every day twice as two different girls. In one, she leads a privileged life in Wellesley, Mass.; in the other, Sabine lives in nearby Roxbury with a working-class family. Sabine is understandably exhausted by this situation, and begins to consider killing off one of her lives, shifting to the other at the last possible second. After Sabine confesses her double life to her Roxbury parents, they immediately have her committed and put on suicide watch. This puts her in the way of handsome nurse-in-training Ethan, who might believe Sabine and be willing to help. Shirvington (Entice) gooses the premise by placing Sabine in high-tension situations (such as being on the brink of death or being physically abused) just as she Shifts, effectively pausing the fallout for a full day while Sabine spends time in her other life. Conveniences abound, beginning with the close proximity of Sabine-s two lives and concluding with a too-neat ending, which arrives in the wake of a melodramatic twist. Ages 14-up. Agent: Selwa Anthony Literary Management. (July)

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Sabine has everything: the perfect house, the perfect friends, the perfect car. Everything is exactly as it should be for the 18-year-old queen bee reigning supreme in her wealthy Boston suburb. However, every night at midnight, she Shifts to her other life where she has nothing: an increasingly difficult family life, hard relationships with peers, an unrewarding after school job in an as-yet-to-be gentrified Boston suburb. Sabine has two livesliving each day twiceand has kept it a secret for as long as she can remember. That is, until she meets Ethan. By developing a rich and nuanced mythology of Sabine's experience, Shirvington invites readers to consider what it means to struggle with the social pressures of being a teenager. The short, action-packed chapters move readers swiftly from day to day and life to life. The story is fresh and focused and would be a welcome addition. A complex and compelling tale.— Pete Smith, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts CPS, South Hadley, MA

Voice of Youth Advocates

Sabine has lived her eighteen years twice. On alternate days, she lives a picture-perfect life in Wellesley, a posh suburb of Boston, and a less perfect life in Roxbury, a more hardscrabble area. Every midnight she shifts between lives and picks up where she left off twenty-four hours previously. Desperate to have one life, she forms a plan to end one and hopefully survive to live the other. Both lives have advantages: Roxbury has her beloved little sister, while Wellesley has the obvious advantages of wealth and a future with the handsome Dex. As her plan moves closer to fruition, things are complicated by the appearance of Ethan in her Roxbury lifemesmerizing, captivating, mysterious, complicated Ethan.Shirvington has conjured up a wonderful dilemma for Sabine, one with which many teens can identifywho am I really? Sabine has created two different personalities in her separate lives and wonders who the real Sabine is. What teen does not have the same question? Readers will at first think it is a no-brainer as to which life Sabine should choose to live, but the author has masterfully created a set of circumstances to keep them wondering what is next, what she will do, and more importantlywhat should she do. This book is a page-turner from the start. Once word gets out about this riveting story, the book will seldom be on the library shelf.Debbie Wenk.Readers will be enthralled from the first page and will not want to put this book down. Sabine's struggle to live two lives is intriguing and will leave readers on the edges of their seats waiting to see what she will do next. Sabine's life in Roxbury is relatable for the majority of the teenager population, whereas her life in Wellesley is one that readers will regard as too perfect. The way the two lives are written is not confusing at all, and readers will thoroughly enjoy the plot. Ethan is the boyfriend that readers will approve of, and Dex is one that readers will see through. The ending is tragic and touching, and will teach readers to not take anything for granted. Anyone who loves romance, soul mates, and the supernatural will love this book. 5Q, 5P.Sarah Phillips, Teen Reviewer.