[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
When Zoe gets back from her family’s summer vacation, she discovers her best friend, Laura, has moved on without her. New friends, new in-jokes, new interests. And Zoe is left to negotiate the start of 7th grade watching Laura from the sidelines.
Zoe is convinced if she was only cooler, if she did things Laura likes, then they can get back to being best friends. And a mysterious new app on her phone gives her the chance to test this theory.
The app lets Zoe go back in time to key moments in her friendship with Laura and get a do-over. And it works! But not in the ways Zoe was hoping for….
Review
This is another fun twist on the time travel/do over story. No time loop in this one, which is refreshing, but Zoe does get to do a few moments of the last year over. The set up of this story is clever and fun.
It was heartbreaking to see how much of herself Zoe is willing to sacrifice in her efforts to hang onto Laura – who was not a great friend in the first place. Zoe’s sister has Laura figured out from the start, but Zoe has to walk the journey to see those things for herself. And it was satisfying – although cringe-worthy – to watch her work through the issues and decide how she wants to move forward.
This would be terrific as a classroom read aloud or a book group selection. My review copy didn’t have discussion questions, but I think they almost write themselves. Kids could get a lot out of digging into the friendship dynamics of the kids in the book. And the discussion of moments readers might choose to do over would be fascinating. Don’t miss this friendship story with a science fiction/time travel twist from Jen Calonita.
Rating: ♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥½ = Good+