Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg - ADVISABLE

Fraiberg, Jordanna  Our Song, 338 pgs.  Penguin, 2013.  $17.99 

Content: Language: PG-13 (16 swears); Mature Content: R (sex scene); Violence: PG.

Olive Bell has spent the last two years in a relationship with Derek, but after two weeks in the hospital, recovering from a car accident in which she died and was revived, she doesn’t see life the same.  Derek is no longer her boyfriend, her mother treats her with kid gloves and her dad mysteriously disappears at night until two in the morning.  In an attempt to get the school counselor and her mother off of her back, Olive joins a Near-Death support group were she meets Nick.  Nick also has secrets but when Olive is with him she realizes that he can show her the world in ways that she has never seen before.  Nick helps Olive come to terms with who she was before the accident and who she wants to be after, but when Nick’s secrets come out Olive feels betrayed.  

This is an interesting look at finding who we are after tragedy.  It explores the themes of loss, friendship and family.  I enjoyed the relationship between Nick and Olive, and it was rewarding to read about a character who could find who she was with the help of her supportive family as well.  It was a quick read and enjoyable.  The sex scene is on page, it's not sensual and doesn't describe body parts, but it says enough to know what's going on. 

HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.