In A SPLIT SECOND by Janae Marks, Elise wakes up after a birthday sleepover with her two best friends to find it is six months later—and that her besties are no longer speaking to her. As she tries to unravel what has happened and turn back the lost time, she reconnects with an old friend who helps her and who may hold the key to the mystery of why the time jump happened. In the process, Elise learns about herself and about true friendship. Told from the dual points of view of Elise and her friend Cora, the mix of magic and mystery tied to middle school friendship issues is engaging and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an eARC of the book with me

A Split Second is an extremely fun and very entertaining story. A little bit of time travel, a good bit of self discovery, and a unforgettable lesson about the value of true friendship and what it really looks like. This title should easily appeal to its age group and beyond as it is nothing short of a 4 star rating!

Thank you to Net galley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great for young middle grade (5th & 6th) who enjoy friendship stories with a little magic. Elise receives a mysterious locket for her birthday, goes to sleep and when she wakes up six months have past. She has no memories of those six months, but her family thinks everything is normal. But everything has changed for Elise. Her former best friends aren't speaking to her and she has no idea why. She also inexplicably joined the photography club and reconnected with a friend from elementary school, Cora. Can she trust Cora to help figure out what happened and will Elise be willing to do whatever it takes to go back in time? Themes of friendship and how Covid caused people to drift apart are prominent in this engaging book.

Who hasn’t wished that they could jump back in time and undo an event. We all make mistakes that we would love to take back. But what if we didn’t remember making the mistake? Was it really our mistake that was made if it wasn’t a part of our memory? This last question is what Elise finds herself asking when one day she wakes up and it is somehow 6 month later. She and a refound friend try to figure out why her ex-besties ditched her and how on earth she experienced a time jump. I love the magical time travel element. While it is such a major part of the story, there is just as much or more of a theme of friendship and self-reflection. I love both viewpoints that you get from Elise and Cora. The story flows really well and kept me reading. Another great middle grade tale by Janae Marks!

5 stars

Janae Marks is one of the most consistent middle grade writers of our time, and this is another absolute hit.

Elise, the m.c., has a sleep over with two friends and wakes up to find that she has time traveled! In this new reality, her cherished friendships have inexplicably fallen to pieces, and an old but lost friendship has suddenly reformed. Though she is quite young, Elise generally keeps her composure, as most of Marks's heroines do, and she goes through a series of problem solving and relationship exercises to solve the mystery and learn important lessons.

I really can't get enough of this author's works. I love teaching them to my college students in Children's and Young Adult literature, and they are always remarkably well received. Of course, I'm already looking forward to sharing this newest effort with them, too.

What would happen if you go to sleep on an October night, but wake up on an April morning? Missing 6 months of memories and the friends you had were gone. Elisa understood that all too well. From celebrating her birthday with her two besties to suddenly them hating her. Elise is trying to navigate her new time when she reconnects with her childhood friend, Cora.
This was a fun time travel story that carried an important message. True friendship will always find its way naturally. You get pulled into Elise's and Cora's story and you watch how it plays out. I loved this story.

Terrific time travel mystery book that tackles important themes such as friendship, fitting in, and finding yourself. Enjoyed the dual POVs between the 2 main characters, and discovering layers of what had happened when the story moves forward 6 months ahead in the future. Middle school friendships, trying to find new friends when you grow apart from former friends, and fitting in are all covered in a beautiful way. A little bit of magic goes a long way in this mystery.

This story was a page-turner from the beginning. I'm not usually a fan of magical realism, but I loved the time travel experience in this book. The relationship between Elise and Cora is fabulous and their journey was unique, heartfelt, and fun. Highly recommend.

A phenomenal middle grade with a twisty storyline that perfectly explores friendship. I loved the switch in POV in the middle of the story. The tension and suspense really kept me turning the pages. Highly recommend!

Six months of living gone in one night! The book explores middle grades friendships. It is a mix of realistic fiction with fantasy/sci-fi. At times the story seemed to drag on and included basic writing with little vivid imagery. This was an okay book but not a purchase for a small library.

Can you imagine waking up to find out you’ve lost six months of your life? Your friends won’t speak to you and you have no idea why! That’s Elise’s reality. You’re going to love unwinding this mystery with her!

What worked:
Elise goes to sleep during her birthday sleepover and wakes up to discover six months have passed. Readers will know something supernatural has happened but Elise doesn’t know if she’s time jumped or is suffering from amnesia. She wants to know what happened during the missing time so readers will accompany her on the investigation. At some point, her best friends stopped speaking to her so Elise wants to know what she did to cause that. Her struggle is complicated by the fact that others in Elise’s life have memories of her recent experiences but she doesn’t know how to ask them for help. She finally reconnects with a girl named Cora who used to be a good friend years ago.
The trouble starts when Elise receives a necklace from an anonymous person on her birthday. She falls asleep in the basement with the amulet in her hand and wakes up in her room not knowing what’s happened. She visits the store where the amulet was purchased and the strange, old owner remembers selling two of them to a young girl. Elise notices the woman somehow knows her name. It turns out the young girl in question is Cora and she’s wearing the same necklace! Readers will begin to wonder if Cora has anything to do with what’s happened, is it something the old woman did, or could it be something totally unexpected?
The book is divided into two halves as it focuses on Elise first and Cora later. Sharing the story from Elise’s point of view allows readers to empathize with her struggles to uncover the mystery. It’s frustrating, confusing, and disturbing to not know what she’s been doing for the past six months. When did she join the photography club and why? Elise becomes overwhelmed with the isolation she feels from being dumped into this new life. Midway through the book, readers encounter Cora’s perspective of what’s going on. Cora has secrets and personal issues that have complicated her life and she needs to cooperate with Elise to resolve them. The two friends support each other as they navigate their problems but the author adds a big twist that throws the plot into turmoil.
What didn’t work as well:
The conflict related to losing six months of life is a problem but the story doesn’t create much tension. The worst thing that’s happened is Elise’s former best friends aren’t speaking to her but it’s not like she’s unpopular or ostracized. However, a revelation is made later in the book and a complication arises to create urgency in the plot.
The final verdict:
Readers will experience a new angle about friendship and the confusion it can cause. Elise’s time jump provides mystery to the plot but the issue of friendship is a key to solving it. The conflict is predictable but the resolution is satisfying and pleasing. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.

This is a super cute Middle grade book that tweens will love!

I am thankful to have gotten the eARC for free from Netgalley and HarperCollins so I can leave my voluntary and honest review.

I was thrilled to get approved to read this title as the description drew me in and so wanted to vet it for our library suggestion. The book didn’t disappoint.
It was written for the middle school reading level however it was fun enough that even as an adult, I enjoyed it.
It’s a dual 1st person POV between Elise and Cora which is great to see the situation through different viewpoints.

I think tweens will really like the magic elements but also the breaking down of friendships and how to manage them as well as choose what is best for an individual. I also like how it mentions the pandemic and the complicated feelings that young kids deal with because of it. I think many will be able to identify with it.

Lastly, I liked that there was POC Representation as well. The book had nothing to do with that it just happened to be that they were brown skinned. I like books where people can see themselves visually in a character without culture or skin color being a topic to be dealt with all the time.

The book comes out on October 1, 2024. Perfect for the spooky fall season to read this fun magical story.


My rating system for Middle Grade and children’s books

⭐️ Significant problems and would never recommend to the audience.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea but may have some appeal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ an ok book which I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend but there was nothing significantly wrong with it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Would recommend highly, especially to school programs.

I loved this time-twisty mystery with themes of friendship, trust, courage, and creativity! Elise goes to sleep with her two best friends sleeping over, but wakes up alone in her room - and discovers she has lost 6 months of her life. During that time, she has also lost her best friends. She begins to reconnect with an old friend and together they try to solve the mystery of Elise's skipped time.
There are so many great twists and turns in this story!

Such a fantastic and magical read!
The first few chapters had me feeling so anxious and uncomfortable thinking about what it would be like to be in Elise's shoes!
It kept me reading because I just had to know what happened! I needed that explanation!
Middle grade readers will certainly feel the same.
Along the way, there was so much to enjoy and ponder.
I loved Sunny's bookshop, Daphne's Delights, the emphasis on photography and creating art, the friendship discoveries, and the magical elements.
I also thought the way it incorporated the aspects of the social anxiety Cora was feeling throughout the different circumstances in the story was relatable and will serve readers well.
Another successful story for Janae Marks!

This book was wonderful middle grade fun! It was suspenseful/exciting. I loved the representation of friendship and I think children will connect well to that. The magical elements were perfect. I cannot wait to purchase a copy for my classroom library.

Thank you NetGalley, Janae Marks, and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book!

A creative and enchanting time travel middle school novel that explores friendship and the choices we make. I thought it was really interesting how this book explored the role the pandemic had on shifting friendships and exacerbating anxiety for some children. Elise and Cora both had relatable personalities and challenges and it was fun to spend time in both of their heads throughout the story!

Elsie is having a celebration with her 2 good friends, Melinda & Ivy, for her birthday. They go to a carnival and then back to Elsie’s for a slumber party. Before falling asleep, Elsie opens a present that was left on her doorstep. Inside is a locket, which she puts on and falls asleep. When Elsie wakes up she isn’t at the slumber party. She realizes she has woken up 6 months later. To make matters worse, Melinda & Ivy are mad at her for some reason and don’t want anything to do with her. Cora, one of her old friends, starts to strike up a friendship again. Elsie realizes how much she missed Cora, Then she realizes that Cora might be behind her memory loss. What is really going on and what should Elsie do?

I very interesting premise. I liked how it should each girl’s perspective. It was very different from what I’m used to reading, but really enjoyed it.