just like Katie mcgarry's books. i don't think that there was one that i didn't like. This one is just another one to add to the list of ones that i love by here. I will be adding my full review closer to the release date.

Echoes Between Us is a mix of young adult and paranormal. It rotates between the POV of Veronica, a misfit girl with a brain tumor that sees ghosts, and Sawyer, a popular boy that is barely keeping it all together. I loved the social issues that were brought up in this book. And I really loved the paranormal aspect that was woven throughout the story. I didn't love the romance between the main characters and kinda wish they had just struck up a friendship instead. There was so much more going on without throwing in a romance that was underdeveloped anyway.

Wow. Did not expect this from Katie McGarry but let me tell ya’ll she did not disappoint! I can’t like ghost talks kinda freak me out so starting this at night in bed wasn’t the best idea I ever had but it was nothing like I thought it would be (so not as creepy and scary as I thought it was gonna be). I was pleasantly surprised with how she put everything together + then wrapped everything up. Always goes to show you not to judge a person by their outward appearances. You never know what they’re really going through behind closed doors. Congratulations Katie! I was so thrilled that you wrote another book + received one from NetGalley to review. I throughly enjoyed it!

Echoes Between Us has a punchiness and pizazz that upon discussion with friends who are massive McGarry fans, feels like nothing she has published before. There’s the usual romance that everyone has come to expect and all the characters have their baggage – I mean it would be a Katie McGarry novel without it right – but this one is also spooky in places, so much so that my cat zooming around at 1am while I was reading the graveyard sequence made me jump more than once. It’s a contemporary that I well and truly endorse everyone to read.

What makes it so amazing though? There’s a passion to the characters that I just cant put my finger on. Veronica is such a sweet young thing who is hiding a deadly secret; although its pointed out by Glory (yes its that Glory and I’m all here for her being involved) at one point that V isn’t letting herself live, she is always down for some random stupidity or spooky expedition. Sawyer (the male MC) is a star swimmer but in private he’s drowning (you see what I did there) under responsibility with having to work, look after his younger sister and parent his alcoholic mother, all while having learning difficulties; this however doesn’t stop him from becoming intrigued by and attached to V.

Although, for the most part, this is a tale of young love and giving yourself over to another person regardless of the consequences, the supporting cast run the gamut of circumstance. Coming from a privileged background, Sawyer’s friends Sylvia and Miguel start out kind of snotty but over the course of the story become such great people that I wanted to squeeze their little cheeks for helping their friend through the giant pile of excrement that is his life. Veronica’s friends are the same as usual – Jessie is laid back in his trailer, Nazareth is his alternative Jewish self and Glory is, well, Glory in all her psychic splendour.

Now, for a book that takes place in a town that I had already read about, Echoes feels fresh and new, always changing locale so as to keep the reader intrigued with the goings on. Whether it be a dilapidated old bridge, an abandoned hospital or the local graveyard, McGarry brings atmosphere and ambiance. I loved that despite being a contemporary/romance writer, she brings some real chops to writing portions outside her usual genre. I really enjoyed the feeling that, although both V and S lived in essentially the same residence, they were always worlds apart.

I wholeheartedly adored this novel and am so thankful to the amazing peeps at Tor Teen for bringing it to my attention

I love Katie McGarry. I have read almost every one of her books. I am a sucker for them. She is a fantastic writer, and I love that she writes about kids that have had the short stick in life. This is something Katie says all the time. She writes about foster kids, kids with one or no parents, kids in low-income households/neighborhoods. And she gives these kids a story. Stories they don’t usually get-- happy ones. This is something that I love about Katie. Most of the kids in her stories don’t have money. They live in abusive households or their parent is an addict. And instead of making the story about their hardships, she makes it about something good that can happen to them. Like love. Like education. Like a break. It’s always fantastic.

With Echoes Between Us, Katie is taking a different route with the same morals at heart.

This novel is Katie’s first foray into paranormal. There’s GHOSTSSSSS! BOO!

Okay, really it isn’t “boo.” I love it because it’s about ghosts not being bad in general. Instead, it’s about letting go of the past and moving forward. She also includes a girl with a brain tumor. This is very different for her because, for the most part, she doesn’t write about “sick kids” or kids/people with terminal diseases. I thought she did fantastically. I’m not really a fan of the “sick kid” trope, but I’m sure teens with brain tumors, etc would love those books. I’m not sure. But, I really loved that Katie tried something different. And I really feel she knocked it out of the park.

Both of the main characters, Veronica and Sawyer, are completely round, just as Katie does. Every single character she writes (including the ghosts) are completely rounded. No character is flat in a Katie McGarry novel. This is so refreshing because so many times there will be a narrator in a love story that is completely flat, a trope, or just so uninteresting. The girl and boy in this story are both extremely interesting. They both have their own issues completely unrelated to their relationship.

This is a kind of slow-burn novel. Not the slowest of burn, but enough of a slow burn that I LOVED IT. This book was also a hater to lovers (YES). It was awesome when they finally got together, and I’ll let you discover it on your own.

One of the amazing things about this book was Sawyer's addiction to adrenaline. It was told so beautifully. Sawyer is addicted to jumping off things into water, which he does and breaks his arm. This sucked for him because he’s a swimming champion. So there was a lot of conjecture about how he broke his arm from the characters in the novel. Reading his struggle… It was incredibly moving. He also starts to attend AA meetings, which I just adored. He constantly felt like he wasn’t supposed to be there, but in the end, the meetings and his sponsor both helped him with his addiction. I loved this part of the story because it’s not one I encounter in books, especially teen fiction.

I always feel like a bad reviewer because I don’t write these reviews very well. I’m like, “I liked this part” and “I loved this part.” But in the end, this is basically a diary for me, which I hope gives me a bit of credibility. I know when I read a good YA book. And this is one. No surprise because Katie McGarry is a fantastic writer. I hope you all give this book a try when it comes out this January. Here are some links where you can preorder. And do yourself a favor and read this rest of her books.

Hauntingly beautiful. This book stuck with me even when I put it down, which I tried not to do often. There were moments were I was genuinely creeped out, goosebumps and all, and had to put it down. It not only questioned Sawyers’ belief in ghosts but my own. McGarry is an instant but for me, so when I saw eARCs available for Echos Between Us I immediately snagged one without reading the synopsis. Going back and reading it after I’ve finished the book makes me glad I didn’t because it’s not a subject I typically enjoy. I’m not a supernatural fan and I like my YA contemporaries to be filled with romance rather than ghosts. This was not the case with Veronica and Sawyers story.

➽ Veronica - the weird girl at school. She celebrates holidays at the wrong time of the year, doesn’t fit the typical mode with her loner friends and supposedly eats Girl Scouts for lunch.

➽ Sawyer - Mr. Popular rich boy who has a ton of friends, is the leader of his group and excels at swimming. His life seems perfect from the outside looking it.

Sawyer moves into the haunted downstairs apartment of Veronica’s house and she gets to see firsthand just how hard his life really is and the facade he has been putting on. Sawyer also gets an inside look at Veronica’s life and sees just how wrong he was about her and why she lives life the way she does. Soon a tenuous friendship with the promise of something more forms between the two as they work on their senior project: proving the other side exists.

A sweet contemporary romance with supernatural elements, Echos Between Us tugs at the heartstrings while also giving you goosebumps. Neither Veronica or Sawyer have it easy, but in drastically different ways. I don’t want to spill too much on Veronica, but I loved how Sawyer’s storyline was handled. He was an adrenaline junky that used dangerous acts of adrenaline to escape his life and responsibilities for a few moments. While there are a ton of self help groups out there available, adrenaline junky help groups like AA isn’t really a thing. AA is though and it was touching to see him taken under another guys wing and show readers how to ask for help. I think that is such an important lesson to take away from this novel. From Veronica I learned to live life to the fullest and the way you want to live it no matter what anyone thinks.

The secondary characters in this books were so important. From Veronica’s dad, to her best friends and Sawyer’s sister and mom. Everyone had their own story and we got to learn it. I’m actually hoping we get to revisit this world someday and maybe get endings to Veronica’s friends stories. I fell in love with Nazareth, Jesse, and Leo. I want to know where their stories go from here and how they end. Plus I’d like to check in on Veronica and Sawyer.

Echos Between Us was so unique to not only McGarry’s other works but anything else I’ve ever read. For moments I too believed in the supernatural like Veronica, got chills and a tad nervous about not things that go bump in the night. If you’re a non-believer like Sawyer you’ll still enjoy this book and his explanations behind residual hauntings and the spirits left behind that haunt us.

“Echoes Between Us” is a story about two teens in extremely difficult circumstances. The themes of love, self-worth, and belief were handled in honest and transparent way. This book has interesting and compelling paranormal aspects too. The relationships in the story were my favorite part. I think teens will enjoy this story.

What a pleasant surprise this story turned out to be! And so unlike any other I've read recently! This story took twists and turns I didn't see coming and had my head spinning. I'm new to Katie McGarry's books but now I'm eager to read more!

At first glance Sawyer is the typical popular guy in school. Good-looking, athletic, with lots of friends. Looking closer though, he struggles with his dyslexia and his family life and nobody sees it. His coping mechanisms are dangerous but he's addicted to the adrenaline rush so he keeps doing it. Until he gets to know fellow student Veronica whose zest for life and indifference towards their school mates' attempts at bullying captivates him.
Joy. Veronica is life and joy.

While Sawyer is the most unlikely partner for Veronica to work on a school project they get into an easy groove. What started as a partnership out of necessity soon turns into friendship and mutual respect. It was easy to see why they fell in love with each other. Sawyer is a sweet, troubled guy who loves his little sister to the moon and back and he has a warmth to him that I found immensely endearing. But his everyday life is tough - his parents are divorced and his mother is an alcoholic and leaves adulting to her barely grown-up son. Sawyer's mother was awful and made me ragey, I wanted to shake some sense into her.
I routed so hard for Sawyer, what a wonderful young man who developed so much strength and experienced so much growth from the beginning of the story to the truly beautiful end. And the love he had for Veronica was as extraordinary as it was deep. pure and mature.
"Someone once told me loving you requires sacrifice. They’re right. I want to be with you, you want to be with me, but giving in now to be happy just for a few months isn’t enough. I want more, and I want you to want more, too.”

If your life can literally end the next day you don't care about about other people's opinion if they are strangers to you. Veronica's brain tumor is a well kept secret and the poise and grace which she lives her life with is inspiring. She's fierce, outspoken, loyal and brave and resilient. And maybe a little bit in denial. But she never gives an inch and always stands her ground and true to herself. Veronica is the kind of character you won't forget easily - I loved her courageous, a little quirky nature and I admired how she stared death in the face. I adored her relationship with her dad which was based on trust and love.

ECHOES BETWEEN US is an unusual story in beautiful prose about two young people who bring out the best in each other and complement one another perfectly. Even as an adult there is a lot to learn and take away from these characters and this truly unique book. Katie McGarry is one of those authors everyone recommends when it comes to YA Romance. Now I get it.
"There’s only been one time in my life when I’ve ever felt like me and not a shadow of the person I thought people needed me to be and that is with you.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor/Forge Books for the advanced copy of Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry!

I do not read a lot of young adult contemporary because as a 30 something year old, I can never identify with the characters or stories, and I am SO HAPPY to say that this is not the case with this amazing book.

First I just want to comment on the location: I originally thought that the book took place in Saranac Lake because of the TB hospital and note up front, but there is a portion of a real diary included in the novel from a patient at the hospital. The book actually takes place somewhere in Kentucky, but I still was jumping at home being mentioned in a book at all.

I loved the characters and the lessons they learned. Veronica is dealing with a brain tumor and believes that she is living life to the fullest... or is she just waiting to die? Sawyer is a popular kid who has a whole houseful of his own issues, and the unlikely couple end up empowering each other to confront their fears.

The book revolves around a school project that Veronica and Sawyer are doing together, to prove or disprove that ghosts exist. The themes about residual hauntings are absolutely beautiful, concluding that these are caused by emotions and events too powerful to leave the mortal world, and they can haunt a person in their day to day decisions. There may or may not be evidence of other ghosts in the story, but those are part of the fun of reading.

It is not a ghost story though, I thought it was shaping up to turn into one but it really isn't, it is SO much more. The book deals with delicate and important themes like depression, alcoholism, enablers, addiction in general, and mortal illness. Poor little Lucy, Sawyer's younger sister, seems to be the wildcard in the story and I just felt so bad for that little girl.

The one part that I wasn't quite thrilled with was Sawyer's voice when we first met him, I don't really like cryptic language that usually means a poor attempt at foreshadowing. Stick with him though because it ends up making sense, and he ended up being my favorite of the dual points of view.

I think Veronica and Sawyer have a great relationship though and their groups of friends are really, truly good friends, which is shown towards the end of the book. Their dad's are also great characters, V's dad is a big amazing papa bear and I loved him, then Sawyer's dad at the end stepping up and taking care of his kids was a good message as well. I think this is a great book for young adults and teens and even adults to read, as it made me think a lot about some of the aforementioned themes.

I would totally recommend this book to ANYONE, which is rare for me. It publishes January 14th so check it out if it sounds up your alley!


Blog post can be seen at https://onenursereader.wixsite.com/onereadingnurse-1/post/echoes-between-us-by-katie-mcgarry

Also Instagram coverage at https://www.instagram.com/p/B5yTsZtAgrx/?igshid=zg5rbuqnunf2

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC! <3

I was going back and forth on a rating this book for a while. A part of me just couldn't bear to give it a 4 star because I couldn't stop thinking: Is this REALLY a 4 star book? I suppose it's because I didn't expect this novel to have so many layers to appreciate. In the end I am going to give a strong 3.8/5, for the following reasons:

The good:

-Quick and entertaining! Echoes between us far exceeds the expectations one would have from just reading the blurb. If you are thinking that it will be a depressing terminal illness story and a dash of ghosts, you may be wrong. Yes, Veronica is suffering from a tumor (the same kind that took her mother) but that isn't the solely defining point of her personality. Though she would fully have the right to wallow and grieve, she instead stays positive.

-The relationship was very enjoyable. Unexpected romances are always appreciated in my little corner, and the relationship that gets established between Veronica and Sawyer is GOOD. Not riddled with toxicity. It just feels right and well done.

The not-so-good:

-I didn't really understand just how Sawyer got a reputation as a 'bad boy'. I can see what the author was going for but in all honesty he was a pretty good and respectable guy.

-As enjoyable as they were, there was still lots of clichés.

- Not as paranormal as I expected. They author still made it work and the subject was present, but be warned that it's not as intense as the blurb would make it seem.

All in all, very solid book. I think my patrons will enjoy it.

This was a lovely young adult novel with some paranormal twists! I am a fan of Katie McGarry and was thrilled to receive this arc of Echoes Between Us. This was a great read full of paranormal elements and romance. The author also dealt with some addiction issues and abandonment issues, as well as processing grief and dealing with health issues. Overall, this story read quickly and I found myself wondering where McGarry was going to take the story. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

When it comes to Young Adult novels, Katie McGarry is my go-to author. So, when I heard about Echoes Between Us, I just knew I had to get my hands on it. I mean, have you seen the cover for this book? It is just stunning!! I took one look at it and knew this book was going to be a winner and I was not disappointed.

Echoes Between Us follows the story of Veronica and Sawyer. Veronica is the unique outsider. She's considered weird or strange by most. However, there is more to her than meets the eye. She's fearless and makes the most out of each and every moment. She's not afraid to be her true self and isn't about to let her blinding migraines get her down. Oh, did I mention she also sees her mother's ghost? And then we have Sawyer. He's the golden boy. He's handsome, popular and an amazing swimmer. However, the pressure from having to perfect all the time and the responsibilities life has handed him has led to one crazy addiction. When times get tough, he likes to dive off cliffs. He can't get enough of the high and is afraid he won't be able to stop. His life is crazy and chaotic. His mother can't be counted on and his dad isn't really around. What happens when the weird girl and golden boy cross paths?? You're just going to have to pick up Echoes Between Us to find out...

Overall, I thought this book was a really fascinating read. As with every Katie McGarry book, this one sucks you in instantly and completely consumes you. This story intrigued me as much as it thrilled me. I loved seeing Veronica and Sawyer come together. They started off as enemies and quickly became more. Their relationship was sweet and honest. I loved how real these two were with one another. Veronica and Sawyer both had a lot of layers and I loved getting to know each of them. Their story was powerful and dealt with a lot of tough subject matter. I loved how well the author not only researched their issues, but how true she stayed to the characters.

Echoes Between Us was a consuming and heartfelt story. I devoured it easily in just one sitting. The characters were entertaining and left me hanging on every word. I enjoyed getting to know Veronica and Sawyer and had a great time getting swept up in their story.

Echoes Between Us is a young adult contemporary romance book with a paranormal twist. This novel follows a dual perspective as it common with all of McGarry’s books. Veronica, is a believer in ghosts and is living with a brain tumor, who is classified as the “weird” girl in school. Sawyer, is a popular kid, state champion swimmer with an adrenaline addiction and they end up working together on an English project.

This novel can just seem like your typical teen romance; but there is so much more to it. This is a story that deals with alcohol addiction, addiction in general, medical drug use, child abandonment, dyslexia, divorce, environmental pollution and terminal illness. I swear with each novel, McGarry dives into and explores deeper topics and I’m so in awe with how she’s handled each and every one of them. I really love that McGarry isn’t afraid to talk about deeper and harder topics in her novels – it can really open up a conversation outside of the novel. Especially since there was talk about how pollution can have an effect on our bodies, since both Veronica and her mother suffer from a brain tumor as a result from a chemical spill from a city they lived in previously. .

Another thing I really loved about this was how much research McGarry put into it. Reading all about these urban legends on Kentucky, as well as the TB hospital and Evelyn, everything was so accurate and well done. The care she obviously put into making it as real as possible, why crafting her own story and characters around it was so great.

As for Veronica and Sawyer, I love how so different they are; similar to every one of McGarry’s pairs. There’s just something I love about opposites attract and this was no different. Although, I never expected to love Veronica and Sawyer as much as I ended up. They just come from such different tracks; but at their core – they’re basically the same. They both went through a traumatic experience at eleven years old and they’ve spent years trying to deal with it. They come together, and at first they don’t get along; but they definitely bring out the best in one another. Watching their development was amazing to witness and I’m so glad that I can to read their story early.

Overall, this was another amazing novel from Katie McGarry. I feel so blessed that I’m never disappointed and I can’t wait for the finished copy to be released in January!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates and Tor Teen for the advance reader copy, Echoes Between Us by awesome YA romance author, Katie McGarry, in exchange for an honest review. I love the way this story unfolded; cool guy Sawyer and weird Veronica are new neighbors since his mom is renting the first floor of V’s house. But both of their personalities hide enormous pain in their lives; Sawyer’s divorced Mom (along with absentee Dad) have put him in the awful position as caretaker for his 6- year-old sister and his mother (she drinks on weekends) but this has caused Sawyer to develop a secret, dangerous addiction. Veronica (V to her friends) believes in ghosts; she sees and talks to her dead mother all the time. I rooted for Sawyer and Veronica! Katie McGarry has written a hard-hitting story about teens with haunting secrets; parents who don’t care (Sawyer) as opposed to a close family relationship with their teen (Veronica), and high school friendships that are fierce to their core; I loved every word in this novel! Both Sawyer and V have friends they totally depend on but these friends do not like seeing the new closeness between V and Sawyer. As they work on a class project together about the existence of ghosts; Sawyer and Veronica open up to one another, becoming very attached. This poignant, mesmerizing, gripping novel reminded me of one of my favorite Katie McGarry novels, Crash Into You, with Isaiah and Rachel, my very special protagonists. I could not stop turning the pages. Katie McGarry is a gifted writer for teens and is totally delivers with real themes, current topics, and contemporary issues they want to read! Highly recommended.

Captivating and haunting, #EchoesBetweenUs is everything I want in a good read and more ... adventure, mystery, suspense, romance, and a touch of the paranomal!

Veronica Sullivan has a secret; one she dare not share with her father for fear he will change his life for her. Veronica hopes that proving the existence of ghosts in her senior thesis will help her dad understand that he will never really be alone.

Sawyer Sutherland is the popular guy, but behind his good looks and charm, Sawyer is a mess. His parents are divorced and his mom drinks constantly which leaves Sawyer to take care of his little sister. Lucy. The burden of responsibility fuels Sawyerʻs adrenaline addiction, one that almost got him killed.

As Sawyer is pulled into Veronica's project, he finds himself constantly surprised by the "weird" girl and slowly, almost reluctantly and yet inevitably, falling for her quirkiness and intelligence. But Veronica's staunch belief in ghosts stands between them.

Why does Veronica believe in ghosts? What is her big secret? Why does Lucy see monsters at night? Why is Sawyer constantly seeking the next thrill? And, what does a 19th century young woman's diary have to do with the story?!

Beautifully told through Veronica and Sawyer's alternating POVs, #EchoesBetweenUs is not just a love story about two souls coming of age amidst painful, life changing issues, but also about the love between children and parents, where sometimes the child becomes the parent.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC!

Veronica and Sawyer may be my favorite pair by Katie yet.



Veronica is weird. She has a small circle of friends, dresses funny, keeps to herself and thus everyone in school thinks she’s weird and a number of other things. In reality? Veronica is dealing with a medical problem that no one knows about and she wants to keep it that way. She is nothing like what people think. She is smart, funny, kind and the kind of friend you would love to have.



Then you get Sawyer, the popular guy according to everyone. He’s got a good future ahead of him in swim, he’s good looking, has a lot of people always following him. He’s not like that though, he doesn’t see himself as this super popular guy that everyone wants to be around and date. He’s got a secret addiction and is raising his sister and being what he feels like is a parent to his mom.



When an English project comes up, Veronica needs a partner and who volunteers but Sawyer. For fun? As a joke? Who knows. But when these two start talking and get to learn about each other, they find that they are not what their reputation states and become friends.



But after a short time together, they being to like each other more than just friends. And what was supposed to be something casual turns into a love they never thought they would have. Watching them care for each other and sticking through all that came along, it will pull at you.



I loved this book, just as I have loved every book Katie has ever written. Katie has a knack for creating these characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.

Katie McGarry is one of those authors who I will read whatever she writes. She could write a book about aliens on Mars and I would be all in (Not something I would ever plan to read.). There's a magic to her writing that pulls me in and makes me fall in love. That's exactly what happened with Echoes Between Us. It blew me away. Here's why.

*Katie McGarry's writing was as amazing as ever. The story in Echoes Between Us was spellbinding. I read it in two sittings. I would have read it in one, but sleep is important.

*It pretty much took me most of the book to figure it out, but many of the characters are also from McGarry's Only a Breath Apart. Once I did, I wish I had remembered that from the start. I loved how the two stories meshed a bit.

*I loved the emotion of the story. Vi and Sawyer are dealing with some big, emotional things personally and it makes the connection they form so special.

*The whole ghost aspect was so cool!!! It also creeped me out a bit, but I'm a wimp.

*There were some twists and surprises I honestly didn't see coming. That might have been because I was so wrapped up in the story.

*How everything played out. I just loved this entire book. It's selfish to say this, but I hope that we get another book with this same setting and group of friends.

Honestly, there wasn't anything I didn't love about this book. It was classic Katie McGarry and I couldn't ask for anything more or different. Fans of her writing will love this book.

Okay so... if you don’t like sad stories, you won’t like this. The main character has a brain tumor and the ghost she sees is her dead mom. NOW- the author did a great job at telling the story though and it’s worth reading if you don’t mind a little sad.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Veronica and Sawyer go on a ghost hunt in this sad, yet hopeful, young adult romance.

Katie McGarry is an author I’ve been meaning to check out for a long time. I was in a major reading slump when I saw this title on my feed. With it being Halloween, I thought a ghost story with romance was just what the doctor ordered!

This story is less about ghosts and more about dealing with traumatic issues. This is a 4 Star Review because it was a quick, easy read when I needed a quick, easy read. However, this book deals with heavy subjects like cancer and alcoholism. I’m immensely glad it pushed me out of my slump, but the subject matter made me really sad while reading it.

Sawyer and Veronica are two people dealing with deeply traumatic issues. The two dislike each other intensely until a class project pushes them together. It’s a perfect “enemies-to-lovers” scenario with snappy dialogue and spades of chemistry between the two. I would have liked their romance a lot if their individual issues had been less intense. I will say Veronica’s dad and Sawyer’s sister are the most precious of cupcakes and deserve to be protected at all cost.

tl;dr A perfect “friends-to-lovers” story that I struggled to enjoy as the main character’s personal stories were quite sad.

I jumped at the chance to review this book because I’ve been a long-time fan of Katie McGarry’s phenomenal book Pushing the Limits and perhaps this is where my fault lies. I couldn’t help my high expectations after reading a book by her that meant so much to me when I was younger.

Echoes Between Us follows Veronica who can see ghosts, in particular her dead mother. She also lives with a benign tumour in her brain that causes chronic migraines that keep her from being accepted by her schoolmates. Enter bad boy Sawyer, who likes to jump off cliffs and is the most popular guy at school, and he pairs up with Veronica for an English AP project. Veronica is a girl with little life left and Sawyer is willing to risk it all – can they complete each other in the end?

Echoes Between Us, in the kindest wording possible, reads like an early 2000s young adult contemporary would read. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, except the fact that the book felt very outdated. Now, there is no reason to write a book reminiscent of earlier tropes in young adult literature, but this was just a painfully obvious and formulaic story stuck in the 2000s that it covered every cliché. If executed well, that’s not a problem. But this time around, it just felt bland.

The cast of characters was exactly what you’d expect: a vulnerable protagonist (who here deals with a terminal illness which I thought was going to be so interesting to read about but turned out to be a plot point to get the love triangle going and keep the fire of boys making girls feel unlovable stoked); a “bad” boy (who is actually a great guy that takes care of his mother and his little sister and does not at any point of this book or the past do anything remotely bad?); a jealous male best friend who keeps telling the protagonist that he is confused and doesn’t know what to do (though dating other girls and partying it up sounds like a good idea to him while guilting Veronica into being celibate); and the quirky sidekick of the love interest who is gay for the sole purpose of reducing her to every stereotype there ever was.

There was a lot to handle within the plot – Veronica’s chronic headaches, her ability to see ghosts (adding a paranormal element to the story that was either ridiculed or exploited to make her more of a ‘weirdo’), a group of friends that seems to accept her brain tumour but also doesn’t, and Sawyer’s impulse to jump off bridges and cliffs for kicks.

McGarry has a tendency to repeat certain phrases but I really hope that editing will go over this book once more because at one point I got so obsessed with a phrase describing Sawyer’s desire to jump off cliffs that I started highlighting it for a few chapters and came up to a count of 87 references to it. We get it, he likes the adrenaline rush and can’t stop. Overall, I feel like this book would be more suited to middle schoolers because the characters behaved very inexperienced and not like teenagers. There was also almost no personality change between the two POVs and if there weren’t headers over the chapters, I would have had no idea whether it was Veronica or Sawyer.

Speaking of the characters, no one acted how they were described, either. Veronica is described and claims herself as quirky – beyond the fact that she celebrates holidays at self-determined times during the year, there is nothing quirky about her. Sawyer is the proclaimed golden AND bad boy yet he never does anything to be revered or punished. Veronica’s best friend with whom she is in love with for half the book never says anything romantic (unless you count that part about him never being able to love her because she has a brain tumour and how no one else could ever love her). Sawyer’s best friend, equally, is just constantly used for gay bashing. His manipulative mother keeps trying to get them together even though she knows Sylvia is gay. What, exactly, was the point of that storyline except making LGBTQ+ people feel annoyed?

All in all, certainly not my favourite McGarry book but I appreciate it for what it was trying to do and it was nice to get back into the early YA mindset for a while. My, how far we have come since those days where bad boys were just good boys who called themselves bad and best friends kept telling you that you’re unlovable because of something you have no control over. Thank the author community for expanding on these stereotypes and making them their own.