Split!

I have heard it said that the most compelling book recommendations are word-of-mouth, from friends, librarians or trusted reviewers who tell you, “OMG, you HAVE to read this book!”


That’s how I fell upon Split by Swati Avasthi earlier this year. And from the first page, I took a header into the tumultuous life of sixteen year-old Jace Witherspoon, and found it so edge-of-my seat intense, and so real that I simply couldn’t put it down.

Here’s the blurb:

Sixteen-Year-Old Jace Witherspoon arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother Christian with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father’s fist), $3.84, and a secret.

He tries to move on, going for new friends, a new school, and a new job, but all his changes can’t make him forget what he left behind—his mother, who is still trapped with his dad, and his ex-girlfriend, who is keeping his secret.

At least so far.

Worst of all, Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back.

Publishers’ Weekly calls it “…gripping and heartbreaking.”

Library School Journal went with “…raw and intimate, dramatic and poetic.”

Booklist said, “A nuanced and mournful work.”

By a happy coincidence, I happened to "see" Swati on the Facebook page of our YA Fresh author friend, Holly Cupala and have been enjoying chatting with her. She's agreed to be a guest here soon...so look for that in the future.

Meanwhile, I urge you all to check out Split. Or maybe I should say, "OMG, you HAVE to read this book!”