Critics' Opinion:
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Published Feb 2019
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
With a fresh, unforgettable voice, Jaime Reed spins a riveting and empowering story of female friendship and how the difficult choices we make - or don't make - can change our lives.
Janelle and Alyssa used to be friends.
Best friends. They knew each other's deepest secrets and went through the hardest times together. But that was then.
Now? Their status is somewhere between frenemies and full-on rivals. Janelle is all about making a difference in her community, while Alyssa reigns over the shallowest girls in school.
Until the day Alyssa collapses and is rushed to the hospital. Suddenly, everyone knows about her declining health and race against time. And, in a stunning twist of fate, the only person who might be able to save Alyssa's life - is Janelle. But will the girls' bitter past get in the way of their futures?
"Starred Review. Examining the power of memory and shifting the perceptions of teenage love, this novel delivers a powerful journey of self-discovery and rebirth." - Kirkus
"Reed develops her teen characters with style as well as substance.... what Reed pulls off here is far more interesting than a clichéd love triangle: a scenario where a mature reflection on an immature first love makes plot sense and still leaves room for seeing a path forward." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Reed's superb dialogue highlights lost love and lost memories, and she deftly uses humor to keep the narrative well paced and refreshing. An effective open window into the lives of two teens as they struggle to discover who they are and how they love." - Booklist
"The writing style is engaging and well-done, and the characters are memorable; young adults will be rooting for the interracial couple. This tearjerker will have emotions running - high and low." - School Library Journal
This information about Sorry Not Sorry was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jaime Reed is the author of The Cambion Chronicles series and Keep Me in Mind. She studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University. She now lives in Virginia, where she works part-time as a line producer for a small independent film company. But mostly she writes and watches '80s movies. Learn more about her at jaimereedbooks.com.
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