My Best Friend, Maybe

In her second book, Carter (Me, Him, Them, and It) sets up an intriguing situation: at the end of junior year, three years after Coley and Sadie stopped being best friends, Sadie invites Coley to a family wedding in Greece. Why? Sadie isn’t saying, any more than she ever told Coley why she dropped her in the first place. Coley impulsively says yes, but she has reasons for going: she wants to get away from her perfect (and perfectly dull) boyfriend, and she’s curious about who she is if she’s not the good girl her family and church expect. Cue the consequences—the people who were once Coley’s second family have changed. Sadie’s mother is angry at Coley, Sadie’s older brother has gotten hot, there’s a hostile and seemingly jealous cousin, and mercurial Sadie is alternately lovable and maddening. Unfortunately, the combination of complex plot machinations and Coley’s naiveté (which keeps her from seeing twists readers may spot sooner) make the book feel over-plotted and slow, with confusions and conflicts dragging on. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. (June)