Before We Were Sorry

June 1, 2018
Relationship extremes take center stage in this debut about a teen navigating her new reality as an outcast following a life-changing event.As Ellory grimly approaches her senior year, readers only know that she's returning to her high school, seeking solitude after being suspended and spending the summer away at an art camp. Chapters flashing back to the previous year alternate with the present, slowly revealing the details of a tightknit but often jealous friendship among Ellory, Jenni, Bex, and their leader, Ret, as well as Ellory's experience with a first love that was also rife with its own problems. Evocative phrasing steeped in the novel's richly melancholy tone vaunts this story above simple melodrama. Tightly controlled pacing allows time for the audience to come to really care about Ellory even as they cringe at some of her more painfully desperate moments with her boyfriend, Matthias. The reveal of what happened junior year is horrifying though replete with a common-to-thrillers twist that careful readers will see coming. However, the conclusion is still satisfying. Ellory, Ret, Jenni, and Matthias seem to be white, Bex is Moroccan and French-Canadian, and there are ethnically diverse background characters.A gripping and atmospheric contemporary thriller that excels in portraying the complex intensity of its characters. (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 18, 2018
At 16, Ellory May thought she had everything figured out. Her squad—Ret, Bex, and Jenni—spent an almost perfect summer together, and things got even better after Ellory met Matthias and the two began to fall in love. Now 18, Ellory is returning to school for the first time after an incident the previous spring. Though no one outwardly blames Ellory for what happened, she has become a social outcast, friendless and brokenhearted. Debut novelist Frick divides her narrative into “then” and “now” chapters, slowly weaving together a story that highlights the sometimes claustrophobic nature of teen friendships. Frick nails Ret’s mean-girl manipulation of her circle of best buddies: “Ret Johnston was the sun. Hot, bright, at the center of our universe. That we revolved around her was simply a fact.” Equally impressive is how Frick slowly peels away the story’s truths, leaving the reader to question everything, including Ellory’s mental health. Taut and riveting, Frick’s psychological thriller will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Ages 14–up. Agent: Erin Harris, Folio Literary Management.

August 1, 2018

Gr 10 Up-Then: four best friends are inseparable. Now: Ellory is alone. Then: Ellory meets her first boyfriend and falls head over heels in love. Now: Ellory is returning to school after time off with no boyfriend and no friends. This novel is told in alternating time periods between then and now, and readers will push forward to figure out what has left Ellory boyfriend- and friendless. They will feel compassion for Ellory as she is ignored, bullied, and isolated, and seeks salvation through therapy and art. The dynamic of the four best friends is an overdramatization of the hierarchy of high school relationships between girls. Ret, the leader of the friend group, is troubled yet alluring and somehow has an unrealistic hold over the other three girls, who are dependent on her. The characters are flawed and layered; readers will relate to at least one of them. Fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars will enjoy this thriller/mystery/love story. Talk of underage drinking and hard drug use makes this more appropriate for older teens. The prose in Frick's fast-paced debut will pull readers in immediately. VERDICT A coming-of-age novel that hits all the stops-drama, friendships, and first love-and would be an excellent choice for YA shelves.-Morgan O'Reilly, Riverdale Country School, NY

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