Review Detail

YA Contemporary, INFINITE IN BETWEEN follows the high school path of five teens. Each teen is unique in their own way, and they are all different from each other. They are all similar to each other. Their paths are jagged, and sometimes, their paths will cross. Things, that are only coincidences to them, are strings and connections to us. It is funny how one person, how a group of people, can affect a single person.

Readers can easily draw parallels between INFINITE IN BETWEEN and THE BREAKFAST CLUB. The labels of princess, athlete, criminal, basket case, and brain can be applied to Claire, John, Allison, Andrew and Brian. But this book doesn't label the main characters as sharply as THE BREAKFAST CLUB. No, they are all special in their own ways and readers can easily empathize with at least one. They are their own persons, and I have a feeling that Carolyn Mackler enjoys deconstructing usual tropes and character types.

(An off-topic note: I now have Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" stuck in my head. I'll be humming along.)

The book alternates between the main five's POVs. Gregor, Whitney, Mia, Zoe, and Jake bring different characteristics and voices to the table. Readers have a strong chance of mixing up and forgetting these characters, but after reading a while, they should be able to keep track of each characters' triumphs and tragedies.

The story starts off on the day of freshman orientation. Immediately, readers will be drawn back into the days of THE BREAKFAST CLUB. The arrival of the five main characters calls back to the arrival of the kids serving detention on a Saturday. The plot moves slowly at first before everything starts to unravel. The book quickly starts spiraling to the ending, and I can't but help turn the page again and again.

Though the ending and the book's message is thought-provoking, it is the journey, the story, of the book that moves me.

Overall, INFINITE IN BETWEEN brings together five teens. They are all unique in their own ways, and the way they affect each other's lives is beautiful and amazing. It is a story about real life, about how much things can change in time. I will recommend this book to those who especially love "Coming of Age" books.

Rating: Three out of Five