Publishers Weekly : Departing from the science fiction premise of Elsewhere, Zevin cooks up an entertaining love story out of what her narrator calls chance, gravity and a dash of head trauma. As the novel opens, 16-year-old Naomi has fallen down a flight of stairs and lost all memory of the past four years. She doesn't remember her parents' divorce (not to mention her mother's remarriage, her half-sister and her father's recent engagement to a tango dancer). Her best friend, Will, with whom she co-edits the school yearbook, and Ace, her tennis-player boyfriend, seem like strangers. What Naomi does remember is James, the first person she saw after her accident. The image of the boy—who helped her to the hospital and stayed to make sure she was all right—lingers as she tries to sort out her past and her feelings. Well-defined characters and convincing narration camouflage the Lifetime-movie premise and the inevitability of every plot turn (no one will doubt which characters will become romantically involved and who will end up together). Naomi, adopted in infancy from a Russian orphanage, can summon up more than enough hidden emotional depths to counterweight the slicker aspects of the story; teens will identify with her vulnerability and her heightened feelings of alienation. And fans of psychological dramas won't want to put this book down. Ages 14-up. (Sept.)

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School Library Journal : Gr 8–11—When Naomi Porter takes a nasty fall, she loses all memory of the past four years. She's not sure if she's had sex with her boyfriend or what she saw in him, and she has no recollection that her adoptive parents are divorced, that she hasn't talked to her mother since her half sister was born, or that she's not wild about her dad's fiancée. Luckily, her buddy and yearbook coeditor, Will, is willing to clue her in on her lost life, leaving out the detail that before she lost her memory, they had shared a kiss. The only thing that eases Naomi's discomfort is the knowledge that she's not entirely alone. James, the first one to arrive on the scene of her accident, is not only handsome and mysterious, but he's also interested in starting off with a blank slate. They eventually fall for one another and begin to date, but precisely as Naomi's memory returns, she realizes that James's troubles run deep. An assignment for a photography class helps Naomi reconnect with her mother, a photographer, and understand how her definition of a family can evolve. Zevin realistically examines the power of memory through Naomi and the subplot regarding her parents' joint career and failed marriage. The cast of sympathetic characters, especially James, who suffers from depression following the death of his brother, will resound with teens. Though not as wholly engrossing as Elsewhere (Farrar, 2005), this is a compelling read with intelligent dialogue that's also touching and funny.—Jennifer Barnes, Homewood Library, IL

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Library Journal : Starred Review. What if you could read your future in a piece of lace? The women of the Whitney family can do just that. Years earlier, on departing from her former home of Salem, MA, Sophya "Towner" Whitney vowed never to read lace again. However, her restraint and resolve are tested as she is called home following her beloved great-aunt Eva's mysterious disappearance. As Towner tries to discern details about Aunt Eva, she must also come to terms with her own earlier near-loss of sanity as well as attempt to establish new relationships and rebuild others. Multiple narratives often told in flashback by various long-standing town residents, while offering somewhat skewed points of view, help to advance this part-historical, part-mystery/suspense novel, building rhythmically to its shattering conclusion. Barry has previously written books for the YA fiction series "Beacon Street Girls." In this, her first original adult novel, she combines her focus on the history of this particular community, including its witchcraft trials, religious cults, and quotidian seaport life, with her study of a fractured family seeking truth to bring us a most unusual and bewitching novel. Highly recommended. [Morrow is pushing this 2000 self-published sleeper hit as its big summer book with a 200,000-copy first printing, reading group guides, and online marketing.—Ed.]—Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA

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