October 1, 2007
Gr 8-10-Jayne Thompkins, 16, seems to have it all. Pressured by her driven newscaster mother, she juggles schoolwork and sports as both captain of the girls' varsity tennis team and the likely valedictorian of her class. Her high school record, she thinks, will make her a lock for admission to Harvard, the college of her dreamsor, at least, her mother's. Then everything changes in an instant when, talking on her cell phone as she speeds to tennis practice, Jayne runs a red light and collides with another vehicle, leaving a six-year-old girl brain-dead. When the child's family makes the decision to remove life support, Jayne finds herself with a death on her conscience and her life spinning out of control. The sister of the injured girl, a popular and malicious figure at school, torments Jayne mercilessly, and her grades begin to slide as she pulls away from friends and family. Only through court-mandated community service can she start to redefine who she really is. A topic this potentially profound and complex deserves better than this simplistic tale has to offer. Jayne is too perfect to be truly sympathetic and believable, while her mother is a transparent villain whose lack of feeling for her daughter strains credulity. Other characters are similarly flat, and the plot is largely uninspired. Devotees of the problem novel may be interested, but this one fails to distinguish itself among other, better offerings of its kind."Meredith Robbins, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, New York City"
Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.