So Close to You

Carter’s debut, a Full Fathom Five property, uses real-life rumors of a secret WWII-era government project as the basis for a romantic time travel story. Seventeen-year-old Lydia Bentley’s great-grandfather disappeared more than 60 years ago in a rumored government experiment known as the Montauk Project. Exploring Long Island’s Camp Hero, the supposed site of the project, with her grandfather, Lydia stumbles into a time machine that catapults her back to just before her great-grandfather vanished, forcing her to decide whether to risk saving him and altering the future. Adding to Lydia’s dilemma is Wes, a mysterious and handsome Project operative who she is attracted to, but isn’t sure is trustworthy. Parts of Carter’s plot are too convenient—Lydia lands back in time exactly six days before her great-grandfather vanishes, and she quickly befriends her great-great aunt and other ancestors. Readers will be hooked, though, by the colorful details of life in 1944, the palpable feelings between Wes and Lydia, and a cliffhanger twist at the end that sets up the next book in this planned trilogy. Ages 14–up. (July)