If There's No Tomorrow

Gr 9 Up—Lena has been in love with the boy next door, Sebastian, since she met him as a kid. Lena goes to a party with her friends in which they all drink; she doesn't drink but ends up getting into the car with a tipsy friend at the wheel. In the blink of an eye, the teen wakes up in the hospital with serious injuries. She soon learns that the driver and the two other passengers are dead from a car crash. Lena is haunted by the fact that she, being the only sober one, should have driven the car. When Sebastian first sees her after the accident, he declares his love for her. Lena should be over the moon but she cannot get over her guilt, so keeps pushing him away. The awkward writing style may initially hinder readers from getting into the story. However, it becomes more seamless midway through the book, and the romantic tension is portrayed especially well. The narrative's true strength is its portrayal of Lena's mind and her process of working through guilt.