Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

Gr 8 Up—The author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight ((Little, Brown, 2012)) returns with a sentimental story about high school sweethearts who, on the last night before they leave for college, revisit meaningful locations to decide the fate of their relationship. Clare is the levelheaded and logical pragmatist who thinks they should break up. Aiden is the romantic and spontaneous optimist who thinks they should stay together. But this work is not just about their relationship; it's about the frightening and exciting transition that all new college students go through as they leave everything they've known behind and venture into the unknown. For Clare, high school, her friends, her hometown, and all of what felt so important to her for so many years already seem tinged with nostalgia and are miniscule compared to the life ahead of her. Many readers will be able to identify with that feeling and with the realistic characters and experiences presented in Smith's latest work.