The Lifeboat Clique

Gr 9 Up—After publishing adult novels as Kathy Hepinstall, Parks delivers her YA debut: a high school dramedy/survival story mash-up that succeeds in snarky voice but ultimately suffers from unevenness. Denver, a Wisconsin transplant in Los Angeles and social outcast, is at a party thrown by her ex-best friend turned popular girl, Abigail, when a huge tsunami hits and washes her out to sea. She finds herself stranded on a boat surrounded by the open water alongside Abigail and three other teens from the cool crowd. The more the group struggle to survive, the less their labels matter. Yet it seems even the most dire circumstances will not get Abigail to forgive Denver. The story alternates between the group's current situation and flashbacks to the evolution of Denver and Abigail's friendship, including the act that led to their falling out. At its core, this is a story about their friendship, with the survival plotline taking a backseat. Because of that, the flashback sequences work well, while the present-day sections plod on too long. As a whole, the book starts strong with a humorous, witty voice, setting readers up for a purposefully over-the-top dark comedy. Then it takes itself too seriously, and the narrative becomes hard to buy into. When the ending weaves in several plot points from throughout the novel, it feels shallow rather than clever. The inclusion of the offensive term sitting Indian-style is used several times. Despite the flaws, teens who feel like they don't quite fit in may enjoy Denver's criticisms of the high school hierarchy.