You Go First: 09/22/18

You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly takes place over the course of a week. It's told in alternating points of view with the chapters being the different days of the week. There's Charlotte in Pennsylvania who is reeling from her father's recent heart attack. Then there's Ben in Louisiana who is running for office in school to hide the fact that he's devastated by his parents' announced divorce. The two are connected through an online game of Scrabble.

Often this type of parallel story irritates me but Erin Entrada Kelly makes it work. She keeps each character's story simple and to the point. She gives the two distinct voices, goals, and outlooks on life meaning that it's easy to tell them apart. But she doesn't go so far to completely change the overall flow of the words or use odd grammar for one to set the two apart as so many authors do.

It would be tempting with essentially two interwoven novellas to pick a favorite character or story. The truth is, I can't. Both kids are lovable in their own ways. Both are going through BIG things.

Erin Entrada Kelly has two books in the works for next year: The Girl Who Heard Sparrows and Lalani of the Distant Sea.

Five stars

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