Member Review

For the year after River Lang’s best friend died in a car accident, he's had to drive past a billboard that reduces the funny, vibrant boy he knew to a statistic. When his 'improvement' of the billboard is caught by a classmate and used as blackmail, he is forced to join the Affinity Trials—a research study observing teens who are “struggling socially.” But things are not what they seem in this study, with some of the kids experiencing things that can't be explained. When River discovers the truth of the study, he'll have to decide how far he's willing to go to be with his best friend just one more time.

River deserves the biggest hug. Every single kid in this book deserves a hug. Couch's writing made them feel so real that I was pulled into the story and right there with them through everything. I appreciated that they feel like young people you'd find at any small-town high school, and that their problems are so relatable, down to not knowing how to deal with the tragic loss of a friend. Adding to it the twist of a legit-sounding but totally hinky study they're all participating in, and you've got yourself a fascinating, touching story.

I was not expecting this book to hit me as hard as it did. The themes of loss and grief are so expertly handled that they brought up my own and had me crying happy sad tears at the end. River is such a lovable character that I felt almost immediate empathy for him, and it only gets stronger as you see him navigating his own emotions even as he tries to help those around him during the weird trials they find themselves embroiled in. I loved that it's a book that invites you to feel your feelings and let them go so that you can heal, pointing out that talking things out will always be healing.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the moving read!