About this book:
What if finding her means losing himself?
Seventeen-year-old Bo has always had delusions that he can travel through time. When he was ten, Bo claimed to have witnessed the Titanic hit an iceberg, and at fifteen, he found himself on a Civil War battlefield, horrified by the bodies surrounding him. So when his worried parents send him to a school for troubled youth, Bo assumes he knows the truth: that he’s actually attending Berkshire Academy, a school for kids who, like Bo, have “superpowers.”
At Berkshire, Bo falls in love with Sofía, a quiet girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. Soíia helps Bo open up in a way he never has before. In turn, Bo provides comfort to Sofía, who lost her mother and two sisters at a very young age.
But even the strength of their love isn’t enough to help Sofia escape her deep depression. After she commits suicide, Bo is convinced that she’s not actually dead. He believes that she’s stuck somewhere in time—that he somehow left her in the past, and that now it’s his job to save her. And as Bo becomes more and more determined to save Sofía, he must decide whether to face his demons head-on or succumb to a psychosis that will let him be with the girl he loves.
*Review contributed by Inah Peralta, Staff Reviewer*
Heartfelt story
This book is one of my most anticipated releases for 2016. Having been read Beth Revis’ recent novel, The Body Electric, which I really enjoyed, I wanted to check out her other works as well.
This book reminded me of Neal Shusterman’s Challenger Deep. Honestly, I did expect a lot from this book, but it started really slow for me. I had trouble relating to Bo and I felt like things were just going on and on and I wasn’t getting any of it. Amidst that trouble, I pushed through and I’m glad that the story became better, especially during the time where Bo realized the truth about him.
It’s also a great thing that the book was told in dual POVs (Bo and his sister Phoebe), at first I really didn’t get why it’s supposed to be dual, but then as the story progressed, I’ve realized that one of the narrators was actually an unrealiable one, which was really interesting. Bo and Phoebe doesn’t exactly have a perfect sibling relationship but I’m really happy to see their relationship develop and get better.
The portrayal of mental health and mental illnesses in the book is spot on. Clearly, the author knows what she’s doing. It’s also a poignant and touching story of love, friendship, family, and more importantly self-discovery and acceptance.
Overall, it was a good read. I had trouble getting into it because of the slow start, to the point that I almost decided to not finish it but I’m glad I kept on reading because it got better the message of the book is really important.
Good Points
interesting plot, good friendship/family relationship
