Young adult author and Seattle native, Rachel Lynn Solomon’s You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone is one of our favorite new books of 2018! If you’re looking for a deep, beautifully written, emotional YA contemporary with enough drama and twists to keep you turning pages, look no further.
Curious? Here’s more!
Official Blurb:
A moving, lyrical debut novel about twins who navigate first love, their Jewish identity, and opposite results from a genetic test that determines their fate—whether they inherited their mother’s Huntington’s disease.
Eighteen-year-old twins Adina and Tovah have little in common besides their ambitious nature. Viola prodigy Adina yearns to become a soloist—and to convince her music teacher he wants her the way she wants him. Overachiever Tovah awaits her acceptance to Johns Hopkins, the first step on her path toward med school and a career as a surgeon.
But one thing could wreck their carefully planned futures: a genetic test for Huntington’s, a rare degenerative disease that slowly steals control of the body and mind. It’s turned their Israeli mother into a near stranger and fractured the sisters’ own bond in ways they’ll never admit. While Tovah finds comfort in their Jewish religion, Adina rebels against its rules.
When the results come in, one twin tests negative for Huntington’s, and the other tests positive.
These opposite outcomes push them farther apart as they wrestle with guilt, betrayal, and the unexpected thrill of first love. How can they repair their relationship, and is it even worth saving?
From debut author Rachel Lynn Solomon comes a luminous, heartbreaking tale of life, death, and the fragile bond between sisters.
Thoughts from the Chronicles:
Teenagers need more books like this. The world needs more books like this. Rachel Lynn Solomon’s sparkling debut, You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, is just the type of young adult novel I love to collect in my library. It’s intelligent, never trite or simplistic, and contains the emotional authenticity I crave in young adult literature, often feeling shortchanged. Not here. This contemporary story kept me turning pages over and over again.
Rachel manages to give dual POV sisters, Adina and Tovah, unique worlds and even worldviews even though they grow up in the same family. I ached for the sister who tested positive for Huntington’s Disease but I felt every bit as much tension and angst in reconciling the other players in this story and how the terrible diagnosis touched them as well.
This book is lyrical and rich, raw, and many times frustrating and uncomfortable. In my book, that is storytelling at its best. The plot is thought-provoking and peppered with many sides of the Jewish faith and traditions. All of these components do exactly what they should do: touch the reader and make him or her think…and think again.
Consider You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone if you enjoy:
- Books featuring the Jewish faith
- Dual-POV novels. Rachel does this to perfection.
- Edgy, raw themes that don’t shy away from detail and big emotions
If you’re a reader sensitive to mature themes and language, please be advised that this book does not shy away from anything. You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone paints the picture of grief mixed with hope in an authentic way, but always investigate content for yourself before purchasing.
We will have more from Rachel Lynn Solomon very soon, as she’ll be here for our Five Minutes author series! Until then, find her book here. And visit Rachel’s website here to learn more about her.