Robyn Schneider (The Beginning of Everything) fills this absorbing novel about second chances with hilarity and heart.
Latham House is a sanatorium for those diagnosed with incurable tuberculosis. Patients wear sensors to monitor their temperatures, heart rates and sleep cycles. Seventeen-year-old Lane Rosen is the new kid at Latham, desperately hoping for a miracle so he can return to his scholarly life and his girlfriend. Sadie Bennett--who's been at Latham for more than a year--initially isn't pleased when Lane arrives because of a past misunderstanding during summer camp when they were 13. But she soon welcomes him into her gang of friends--who cause mischief inside and outside of class--and Lane and Sadie inch toward an intimate relationship. But the greatest development for all may be a new antibiotic on the way that promises a cure for their strain of tuberculosis--but six weeks may be too long for some.
Schneider's lead characters alternate as narrators of this affecting story, their voices made distinct by Lane's ambitions and frustrations and by Sadie's artistic observations and pop culture references. Poignantly, Sadie fears the cure because Latham makes her feel special, a place where she's loved by friends and Lane. She worries the protocillin will return her to the "dreary, unappealing life" she left behind. Lane, on the other hand, is optimistic for both of their futures outside of Latham.
The book barrels to an ending that is emotional yet hopeful. This moving novel may appeal to fans of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. --Adam Silvera, reviewer and former children's bookseller