The Last Good Day of the Year

by Jessica Warman

Overview

In the early hours of New Year's Day, seven-year-old Samantha and her next door neighbor, Remy, watched as a man broke into Sam's home and lifted her younger sister, Turtle, from her sleeping bag, taking her away forever. Remy and Sam, too afraid to intervene at the time, later identified the man as Sam's sister Gretchen's much older ex-boyfriend, Steven, who is sent to prison for Turtle's murder.

Ten years later, Sam's shattered family returns to her childhood home in an effort to heal. As long-buried memories begin to surface, Sam wonders if she and Remy accurately registered everything they saw. The more they re-examine the events of that fateful night, the more questions they discover about what really happened to Turtle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802736635
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	05/31/2016
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jessica Warman is the author of Breathless, Where the Truth Lies, Between, and Beautiful Lies, which have received seven starred reviews among them. Between was published in a total of twelve countries around the world. Jessica has an MA in creative writing and recently moved to Houston, Texas.

www.jessicawarman.com
@jkwarman

Editorial Reviews

"[E]ngrossing: a deeper exploration into the long-term ramifications a child abduction wreaks upon a family. Asuspenseful and haunting look at the uncertainty of memory." —Booklist

"There’s mystery upon mystery here, but they’re all imbued with tenderness and tragedy, and the final, supernaturally touched puzzle is genuinely surprising and original." —starred review, BCCB on BEAUTIFUL LIES

"The novel's tension and persuasive sense of dread should captivate readers." —Publishers Weekly on BEAUTIFUL LIES

"An excellent recreational read for young adults looking for genuine shock and surprise." —VOYA on BEAUTIFUL LIES

"The twins' culturally barren, dreary yet violent world—a realm of broken dreams—resonates . . . in this haunting, moody, character-driven thriller." —Kirkus Reviews on BEAUTIFUL LIES

"It's been a while since The Lovely Bones was in every high school backpack; this is a strong contender to take its place." —starred review, BCCB on BETWEEN

"A perfect read for teens who like complex characters." —starred review, Booklist on BETWEEN

"Dramatic and unpredictable . . . A page-turner to the bittersweet ending." —starred review, Kirkus Reviews on WHERE THE TRUTH LIES

"Achingly realistic . . . with rare, refreshing honesty and flashes of wry humor." —starred review, Booklist on BREATHLESS

"Characterization is vivid and exquisite . . . tender and intimate." —starred review, BCCB on BREATHLESS

From the Publisher

05/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—It only took a few moments for Sam's life to change forever. On New Year's Eve, 1986, Sam, seven, and her best friend and neighbor, Remy, are the only witnesses to the abduction of Sam's little sister, Turtle, age four. In the aftermath, the two children struggle to tell police everything they remember. In the end, Sam's older sister's boyfriend is convicted and her family is devastated as her sister is never found. Sam's family eventually moves away only to return 10 years later to try and reconcile themselves with the tragedy that still haunts them. Their return brings back memories for Sam as she reconnects with Remy and she begins to wonder: did they tell the truth that fateful night? Is the wrong man in jail? The story unfolds through flashbacks, excerpts from a true crime book written about the case, and events during the summer of 1996. However, the eventual denouement is too rushed, leaving more questions than answers. Sam is a sympathetic character, but readers never really get to know her, despite being in her head for most of the book. The characters' motivations and development is haphazard, and while the story contains lots of tension that fans of the genre will love, the ending may leave them frustrated. This fragmented tale doesn't feel fully stitched together. VERDICT A tense ride of a story that fails to deliver.—Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2015-02-16
Ten years after the widely publicized kidnapping of Sam's baby sister, Turtle, Sam and her family return to live in the home where the abduction took place.In a detail-rich, nostalgic narrative voice, Sam describes the fateful night and its aftermath. It was 1986; Sam was 7 and Turtle, 4. Alternating chapters take readers to 1996, when Sam and her altered, numbed family return to Shelocta. Sam's older sister, Gretchen, whose much-older boyfriend was eventually convicted of Turtle's murder, has come back to Shelocta from Texas; Hannah, the 5-year-old sister everyone agrees is serving as Turtle's replacement in her parents' minds, flits innocently through the action, unaware of her family's history. Tension among family members and with old neighbors, former acquaintances, and Sam's childhood best friend drives the largely atmospheric story forward. Interspersed throughout are excerpts from the book an investigative journalist has written about Turtle's case. These interview transcripts and outsider descriptions of family members add to the pervasive sense of distance and fragility in a community blown apart by trauma. Oddly, the resolution is far more plot-based than the lead-up would suggest. Many of the character-based questions (When will Hannah learn about what happened to Turtle? What sort of relationship will Sam and Remy have now?) go unanswered.Hauntingly written but leaves readers wondering, what now? (Mystery. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews