Starred review from May 9, 2016
Yovanoff (Fiendish) weaves a sliver of the supernatural into this unlikely love story between Waverly Camdenmar, an increasingly disaffected mean girl, and Marshall Holt, a substance-abusing slacker trying to get his life on track. Waverly and her best friend Maribeth rule their high school, but Waverly's disenchantment with their ruthlessness surfaces as she starts spending time with her eccentric cross-country teammate Autumn, who challenges Waverly to be better, and Marshall, a loner classmate who doesn't apply himself because he's dealing with family problems. Yovanoff paints a dire, existential view of high school full of isolated, insecure characters secretly wondering "what is the point?" In an attempt to ward off recurring insomnia, Waverly takes to lighting a mysterious candle at night, entering a hypnotic state through which she physically visits Marshall, though only he can see her. Waverly and Marshall have distinct but equally perceptive narrative voices, and as Waverly struggles with the implications of bringing their secret relationship public, Yovanoff offers a multilayered exploration of human connections, particularly those that manifest in unpredictable ways. Ages 14âup. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary.
Starred review from March 15, 2016
Complicated romance blooms between the perfect student and a sensitive burnout. Waverly Camdenmar works diligently to perfect the face she presents to the world: she's white, a good student, popular, and a cross-country runner who'd do anything to win. But there's another Waverly, the one who can't sleep. Meanwhile, in another social stratosphere, Marshall Holt, also white, toils at the center of a broken family, choosing to get wasted rather than face the world, let alone his feelings. While Waverly's emotions feel unreachable even to herself, Marshall's are always too close to the surface for comfort. One night, Waverly lights a candle and counts backward, finally finding sleep only to discover she's ended up in the path of Marshall's actual, intoxicated evening. Only he can see her, but she's corporeal as anyone to him, and it keeps happening. The two meet in dreams and reveal more of themselves than either dares show anyone else but resume their closed-off identities in the daylight; they may as well be strangers at school. But such a dream relationship can only exist so long before being brought to light. Alternating narration in the first person, Waverly and Marshall burn brightly in their individual, secret pain--both refreshingly flawed as they come into their own. Readers will forgo sleep themselves to witness their vibrant, achingly real story unfold. A brilliant romance that forces its protagonists to explore and accept themselves as they discover one another. (Fiction. 14-18)
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March 1, 2016
Gr 10 Up-Waverly Camdenmar appears to be a model student with a competitive streak, but she has her secrets. Marshall Holt seems tuned out (he begins or ends many days with mood-altering substances), but he has smarts he doesn't play up. These two seeming opposites find a mutual attraction, brought to the forefront when Waverly meditates to a magic candle and is transported to Marshall's bedroom. Yovanoff paints a bleak portrait of high school, with a ruthless social structure, scheming "best friends," beer at every party, and mostly clueless adults. Waverly and Marshall switch off as narrators every few chapters, as they struggle to fit their unlikely but visceral attraction into their daytime lives. The author has some great descriptive phrases and images, such as girls with "too much eyeliner, not enough shirt"; painting fingernails with Wite-Out in a boring class; and a "soft, wobbly place" where awake and asleep come together. The school prom (which Waverly is helping plan and Marshall doesn't expect to attend) gives a focus for the final chapters. This is an angst-filled story with older high school characters, where everyone seems some degree of miserable. There are pockets of honesty that bode well for the future. VERDICT Suitable for collections in need of dark fiction with a hint of magic.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley Sch., Fort Worth, TX
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from March 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* There are two Waverly Camdenmars. One is the Waverly everyone sees: smart, driven, untouchable. The other is the Waverly who runs at night until her feet bleed, who spends hours meticulously analyzing her fellow students so she knows how to behave, and who, one night, dreams herself into the bedroom of Marshall Holt, a thoughtful slacker-stoner with a troubled home life who shouldn't even be on her radar. As her nighttime wanderings continue and their connection grows, Waverly must decide if he is something she wants in her waking life as well. In dreamy, introspective prose, Yovanoff (Fiendish, 2014) takes a sharp turn out of the dark fantasies she is known for and into a character-driven romance that pulses with magical realism. Waverly is an odd heroine, detached and clinical in her observations of her fellow students. By contrast, Marshall is overly empathetic and feels almost too much, often turning to drugs and booze to numb his sensitivity. Secondary characters, including Waverly's popular friends and Marshall's falling-apart family, are crafted with equal attention to detail, creating a tableau that, despite Marshall's and Waverly's different kinds of detachment, feels inherently familiar. This is a tightly woven, luminously written novel that captures the uncertain nature of high school and the difficult path of self-discovery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2016
Cool and mechanical overachiever Waverly is high school royalty who hides the fact that she hardly sleeps. In a dreamlike state, she's projected into the acid trip of stoner Marshall, and a romantic relationship develops that creates cracks in Waverly's seemingly immutable foundation. Moody and electric, Yovanoff's writing evokes a feeling of hallucinatory sleeplessness while building solid, sympathetic characters.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)