A Million Miles Away
A Million Miles Away
By Lara Avery
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Curriculum Subject:Family Life: Parents/Siblings/Babies, Personal Development: Loss, Teen Life: Relationships/Sexuality
Grades: 10-12
Twin sisters Kelsey and Michelle Maxfield look identical — but they couldn’t be more different. Kelsey is the captain of the dance team and loves her cute college boyfriend, Davis. Michelle is a free-spirited artist and flits from one guy to the next, the latest a soldier recently deployed to Afghanistan. Despite their differences, Kelsey and Michelle can’t live without each other — until, in an instant, everything changes.
When Michelle dies in a car crash, Kelsey is left without her other half. As the only one who knows about her sister’s boyfriend, Peter, Kelsey takes it upon herself to find him and tell him what happened to Michelle. But when she finally connects with Peter online, he thinks that Kelsey is Michelle and says that seeing her is the one thing keeping him alive. Caught up in the moment, Kelsey can’t bear to break his heart with the truth, so she lets Peter believe that she is Michelle.
Kelsey keeps up the act, pretending to be her sister, and soon she can’t deny that she’s falling, hard, for the one boy she shouldn’t want.
Lara Avery delivers a breathtaking story of love and loss that is guaranteed to sweep you off your feet.
PRAISE
“It’s remarkably easy to suspend disbelief while reading this compelling romance, despite a plot with so many moments that defy logic. But love and grief aren’t logical, and Avery captures Kelsey’s dilemma with compassion and verisimilitude, pulling readers into both Kelsey’s complex emotional web as well as the rural Kansas landscape. This is definitely several steps above the standard romance; Avery is a voice to watch in this genre.” — Booklist
“This is not a simple story… the issues of sibling rivalry, family cohesion, grieving, and maturity provide great discussion topics in teen or cross-generation discussion groups.”— Voices of Youth Advocates