I Remember You

Gr 10 Up—It's 1994 in an East Coast suburban town. Juliet is a junior in high school, focusing on her future goals (law school). Lucas is a hockey player, who is from a less-affluent part of town, and has his future planned out: he's joining the Marines. When Lucas walks into Physics class and sees Juliet, he knows they are going to date. He claims to have visions and memories that seem to be coming from his future. As these become more frequent, Juliet finds herself lost in his pain, unfocused on her goals, as she tries to hang on to their relationship in the present. Bell weaves an intensely passionate love story with a creative structure in which the present-day and future time lines eventually meet by its end. Juliet is grounded, honest, and wants to be known for her intelligence and independence. She compromises these qualities while dealing with Lucas's visions, and her mom and best friend take note. Well-developed and multidimensional supporting characters contribute to the book's even pace. Strong imagery and realistic dialogue work seamlessly to create the ambiance of 1994, where pay phones were only a quarter and houses still had corded landlines. This romance novel has elements of science fiction, yet remains true and authentic to the intensity of feelings adolescents experience with their first loves. Some tasteful sex scenes make this work more appropriate for older teens. Recommended for fans of Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler's The Future of Us (Penguin, 2011).—Stephanie DeVincentis, Downers Grove North High School, IL