Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A trio of struggling teens meets by chance in Central Park and becomes everything to one another.Freya, a rising half-Ethiopian, half-white and Jewish musical sensation, has lost her voice—the one thing that her handlers demand, that her sister resents, and that her fans will abandon her without. Harun, the dutiful closeted son of a traditional Pakistani-American family, has lost James—a black boy who is the love of his life and the secret part of himself he cannot bear to reveal. Nathaniel, a white boy bowed under the weight of responsibility, has lost his father—his only anchor to the rest of the world. As each one is preoccupied with the belief that they have no way forward, the teens' lives suddenly collide when Freya topples off a Central Park bridge, landing on and concussing Nathaniel. Harun helps them both to an emergency clinic, and their lives are forever changed. Loss is unquestionably the theme here, but Forman deploys a complexity that is mirrored in the narrative structure and borders on the fractal as loss compounds loss. The intersections of love, family, and identity—and how loss impacts them all—lay the groundwork for the breathtaking empathy and friendship that takes root among these three seemingly dissimilar teens within hours of meeting each other.Stunning doesn't even begin to say it. (Fiction. 14-18)

ALA Booklist (Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Freya sacrificed family for her music career, and now, just as she's poised to make it big, she loses her singing voice completely. Harun, caught between the boy he loves and the family he doesn't want to disappoint, prepares for a trip that could force him into a life he doesn't want. And Nathaniel, self-contained and used to having only his father in his life, arrives in New York with almost nothing. When a chance encounter throws the three together, none of them will leave unchanged. Forman's (If I Stay, 2009) latest is a mature, quiet examination of loss. The bulk of the narrative takes place over the course of just one day, with intermittent flashbacks giving depth to the characters. During that day, the three, who come from varying, diverse backgrounds and families, face their individual demons and try to find the paths they've lost. Tightly woven and, in places, heartbreaking, this is a masterful exploration of human emotion that will appeal to adults as well as older teens. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: If I Stay made Forman a superstar, and a publisher-described "massive" prepub campaign should keep this book on, and off, shelves.

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

A trio of struggling teens meets by chance in Central Park and becomes everything to one another.Freya, a rising half-Ethiopian, half-white and Jewish musical sensation, has lost her voice—the one thing that her handlers demand, that her sister resents, and that her fans will abandon her without. Harun, the dutiful closeted son of a traditional Pakistani-American family, has lost James—a black boy who is the love of his life and the secret part of himself he cannot bear to reveal. Nathaniel, a white boy bowed under the weight of responsibility, has lost his father—his only anchor to the rest of the world. As each one is preoccupied with the belief that they have no way forward, the teens' lives suddenly collide when Freya topples off a Central Park bridge, landing on and concussing Nathaniel. Harun helps them both to an emergency clinic, and their lives are forever changed. Loss is unquestionably the theme here, but Forman deploys a complexity that is mirrored in the narrative structure and borders on the fractal as loss compounds loss. The intersections of love, family, and identity—and how loss impacts them all—lay the groundwork for the breathtaking empathy and friendship that takes root among these three seemingly dissimilar teens within hours of meeting each other.Stunning doesn't even begin to say it. (Fiction. 14-18)

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

After being brought together by an accident in New York City-s Central Park, three struggling teenagers form a fast, powerful friendship in Forman-s elegant and understated novel, which alternates between their day together and flashback sections that carefully expose her characters- losses. Freya, a singer on the cusp of stardom, has lost her voice, her sister, and her father. Harun has been dumped by the boyfriend he-s terrified to tell his Muslim family about. And Nathaniel has landed in New York City alone, leaving behind an unpredictable father incapable of caring for him. Forman (If I Stay) occasionally references the parable of the boiling frog, in which a frog in a pot of water doesn-t notice a gradual increase in temperature and is eventually cooked to death. In some ways, she performs a similar trick: readers may be so caught up in the intensity and warmth of the bond Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel form that they-re caught off guard by their story-s final act. But readers won-t finish the novel lost or bereft; this is a celebration of the lifesaving power of human connection. Ages 14-up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Mar.)