Echoes Between Us

Veronica has a relatively close-kept secret: she has a brain tumor, and while it’s always been small and benign, the recent worsening of her migraines makes her wonder if things might be changing. After all, her mother had a tumor too, and it killed her. Worse, Veronica is now seeing the ghost of her mom. She believes she’s accepted her fate, and now her focus is on proving ghosts are real. Meanwhile, her new downstairs tenant is popular boy Sawyer, whose cheerful, easygoing exterior hides an addiction to adrenaline and some dark family secrets. In the course of working on a school project together, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another. Can they help one another fight off the dark shadows of their lives? Or will their secrets drive them further into the darkness?

Katie McGarry has written an amazing young adult novel here, a story with such depth and feeling that teens, young adults, and even older readers will fall in and be unable to emerge until the end. Veronica’s worsening tumor is a deadly secret, and her determination to push others away and keep her pain to herself is an idea that many will identify with. Meanwhile, Sawyer’s addiction—and his struggles as the son of someone else with an unacknowledged addiction—will resonate with far too many readers. Echoes Between Us is beautifully written, the story is complex, and the characters are far too realistic. An outstanding read.