Me and Me

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 created—one 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.