All We Could Have Been by T.E. Carter
Published by Feiwel & Friends on April 23rd 2019
ISBN: 1250172969
Pages: 291
Goodreads

Lexi is overwhelmed by her family tragedy but her character and the book is somewhat underwhelming.  Her brother is guilty of a crime that embarrasses Lexi enough to keep her moving from relative to relative till her senior year.  Enter some friends that she values and a crisis arises that threatens to destroy her year and relationships.   The plot is interesting but its development is weak and the characters are just out of reach.  Lexi’s pain feels real and it is this fact that saves the book.   Teens who have faced physiological trauma will identify with the character and are sure to cheer for a good outcome.

Give this title to the middle and high school social worker and add to HS media centers where current fiction is collected.  All We Could Have Been might find itself in the hands of the teen who needs it.

Submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME