(1st viewpoint) After Elyse has spent hours and hours helping her best friend Bryn learn lines for plays, she decides to try out for their school play Romeo & Juliet. When she is given the part of Juliet, she is shocked but pleasantly surprised. Besides Bryn’s friendship, there hasn’t been much good in her life. Elyse has had to look after herself since the age of 6 as her mother is addicted to drugs and alcohol and lately spends most days unconscious.

Elyse works hard to keep the social workers away, the state of her home life to herself and an unsteady balance between her job at the picture theatre and schoolwork. When she falls for someone at school, she hides it from Bryn, wanting to keep this slice of heaven for herself. Surely she’s finally earned something wonderful?

(2nd viewpoint) Gabe has been going out with Sasha forever, and they are deemed a golden couple at school. But Gabe has had enough of moody, controlling, sharp-tongued Sasha and he finally breaks up with her. When he’s in an accident, a stranger comes to his aid. He doesn’t realise this girl goes to the same school and when he sees her is determined to thank her.

This girl is the opposite of Sasha. Quiet, and seeming a bit of a loner, Katherine shuns Gabe to begin with. But as he slowly breaks her tough shell, she tells him her father mustn’t know. He has forbidden her from talking to boys, let alone dating. Gabe falls hard and is happy with any time they can snatch together.

But Sasha won’t let him go. She will get him back at any cost and Gabe doesn’t realise just how far she will go.

Told in both viewpoints, I liked the characters of both Gabe and Elyse early in the story. Their journeys were easy to follow and enjoyable as two separate narratives.

Both are caught up in forbidden relationships, swathed in secrets and lies, building to a twist I never saw coming and a finale I couldn’t read fast enough! Loved it.

Author – Jennifer Donaldson

Age – 14+

(School play, Romeo & Juliet, Toxic Love, Forbidden love, Addiction, Family, Jealousy, Control, Lies, Deceit, Romance, Suspense)