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Live to Tell

by Lisa Harrington

When we meet 16-year-old Libby Thorne in Lisa Harrington’s second YA novel, she’s in a Halifax hospital, having just awoken from a 12-day coma caused by a fiery Halloween car crash. Suffering amnesia, Libby discovers she is responsible for an accident that’s left another person at death’s door. But when nothing she’s told about that night makes sense, and a mysterious guy claiming to be her boyfriend begins visiting her in the hospital, Libby becomes determined to uncover the truth.

Libby spends her days recuperating, awaiting legal charges, and navigating the confusing, frustrating blur her life has become. Through a series of flashbacks and the help of her best friend, Libby patches together the events of that evening and makes several shocking discoveries, including the identity of the other crash victim.

Harrington anchors the story’s well-paced drama in present-day Halifax, exploring themes of love, loss, hope, and new beginnings through convincing characters and polished prose. The result is an engaging thriller peppered with just enough believable plot twists, teen angst, and realistic dialogue to keep the storyline moving along. Harrington’s clever, original approach to the amnesia trope will even have readers with Sherlock Holmes–worthy sleuthing skills guessing the story’s outcome, making Live to Tell a compelling, satisfying read right until the last page.

 

Reviewer: Jennifer D. Foster

Publisher: Dancing Cat Books

DETAILS

Price: $14.95

Page Count: 192 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 978-1- 77086-217-3

Released: Sept

Issue Date: 2012-10

Categories:

Age Range: 12-15