Review Detail
5.0 1
Middle Grade Fiction
276
And you think YOU feel unseen?
(Updated: June 04, 2026)
Overall rating
3.7
Plot
4.0
Characters
3.0
Writing Style
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Olivia is starting 7th grade, and is fortunate enough to have a good group of friends. Her brother, Malcolm, has come out as gay, and Olivia's parents have thrown a party for him as a way to be supportive. Olivia used to spend a lot of time in the school library, talking to Mrs. Cassidy and showing her her sketchbook, but when she checks in this year, she finds to her surprise that she has retired and been replaced by a young, hip librarian, Ms. Amelia. When a 7th and 8th grade formal is announced, Olivia's friends want to share all of the gossip on a social media app called KruShh, which Nessa helpfully downloads for her. Olivia doesn't have much interest in in, but does spend a Friday evening scrolling through it when Malcolm forsakes the family movie night for a date. There's all kinds of drama on KruShh, but Olivia has little interest. She's annoyed when Robbie, a boy her friends think is cute, leaves a note asking her out. She isn't quite sure who left the note and says "no", and things get out of hand on KruShh. Olivia meets Jules in the library; Jules is nonbinary and has asked Miss Amelia for books to help. The odd thing is that both Olivia and Jules have an odd condition; they get headaches, feel tingling in their limbs, and then are invisible to everyone around them. Miss Amelia is the only other person who can see them. As the drama over the dance escalates, Jule and Olivia have a misunderstanding. Eventually, Olivia realizes that she is aromantic and doesn't share the same interest in having relationships that her friends do.
Good Points
Olivia's experience in middle school is given an allegorical twist as she feels invisible and actually physically manifests that feeling. This is a book that is definitely on trend and embraces the cultural zeitgeist when it comes to sexual identity. It also has plenty of tween drama and an especially evil form of social media in KruShh. Olivia's parents are probably the best characters as they try really hard to support Malcolm, but in the cringiest ways possible.
Weaknesses: Being "invisible" in the real world is not particularly pleasant all the time, but if people ACTUALLY turned invisible, it would be an interesting experience. I'm a huge fan of Kessler's Have Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins , Thompson's The Day I was Erased or Clements' Things Not Seen, which are fun stories about tweens becoming invisible.
This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Gino's Alice Austen Lived Here or Riley's Jude Saves the World.
Weaknesses: Being "invisible" in the real world is not particularly pleasant all the time, but if people ACTUALLY turned invisible, it would be an interesting experience. I'm a huge fan of Kessler's Have Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins , Thompson's The Day I was Erased or Clements' Things Not Seen, which are fun stories about tweens becoming invisible.
This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Gino's Alice Austen Lived Here or Riley's Jude Saves the World.
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