Everything is going just
the way superachiever Jayne Thompkins planned. She's at the top of her
class and captain of the girls varsity tennis team. Her ultimate goal?
Harvard. She wouldn't be killing herself with all these extracurriculars
otherwise. But her life changes when she crashes into another car and a
little girl dies as a result. Will she ever be able to live with the
guilt she feels over this accidental death? A gripping and fastpaced
story about guilt, anger, forgiveness, and second chances by firsttime
author Susan Colebank.My Review:
Black Tuesday is a well-written story that deals with feelings of guilt. It explores the feelings after causing death in a car accident. The book also explores romantic relationships and familial relationships.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD
Jayne is a well-done main character. The story is told through her 3rd person POV, and while I usually prefer 1st person, I enjoyed the 3rd person in this book. At the beginning of the book, Jayne is the valedictorian and tennis captain, and she looks out for her 14 year old sister. Jayne is driving to tennis practice when her phone rings and she glances down at the caller ID. That one second will change her life forever and end another's life. She runs a red light and crashes into a car. In the front seat, there is a 6 year old who is killed in the accident. Jayne struggles with guilt after the accident. Her grades begin to slip, and she dates a guy who is a drug dealer, though she didn't know that when they started dating. She has to figure out how to get her life back together.
Ellie is Jayne's 14 year old, diabetic younger sister. She doesn't get grades like Jayne's, and she enjoys partying. The day of the accident, Ellie called Jayne and asked her to get her biology homework from her locker for her. After Jayne got the homework, she was running late to tennis practice. The person who called when Jayne ran the red light was Ellie. Jayne pushes Ellie away after the accident. The best moment between the two sisters is when Jayne asks Ellie why she was calling that day. Ellie said, "To thank you. For getting my biology homework. Because I had for...got...got...ten to say that." I found it to be a very sweet scene.
If you like YA contemporary, read this book.
Katie
Hmm-I can't say I've seen this one before, but it does look intriguing. I can relate a lot to the main character: wanting to go to Harvard, trying to be perfect, etc. I might really enjoy this book! :) Great review!
ReplyDeleteA Splatter of Ink
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Thanks! I hadn't heard too much about this one either until I saw it on a blog and added it to my TBR list.
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