Kendall and Max once had a very brief but very memorable kiss.  Max, at the time, was dating Eliza and in his heart of hearts knew his relationship was doomed.  Fast forward six months to snowy New York City days before New Year’s Eve. Max has deferred his first year at college due to a misplaced sense of responsibility to Eliza.  Kendall has just returned from a semester abroad and absolutely not ready to re-enter real life. Kendall and Max accidentally bumped into each other and witness a very ugly and public argument between a man and a woman.  The woman, in an attempt to break away from the man, runs into the street and is hit by a bus. Kendall and Max are shell shocked and horrified that they watched the argument and did nothing to help the woman. Sitting over coffee and sharing their collective guilt, their waitress overhears them and challenges them to complete seven random acts of kindness and to come back on New Year’s Day to share the results with her.  Kendall and Max are initially unenthused with the project but find that opportunities abound once they open their minds to breaking the bystander cycle. Friends and family are peppered throughout Kendall and Max’s quest, most importantly Max’s grandfather who is grieving the death of Max’s beloved grandmother. Rather unsurprisingly, Kendall and Max do share a second kiss though the story stops short of providing all the makings of a perfect ending.  Readers are left able to decide how they think the story ends. A nice romance to add to high school shelves.

Reviewed by Suzanne Dix, Westbrook Middle School, Westbrook