The Reunion

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-The Mayweather family is full of secrets. When they gather in Cancún for a weeklong reunion and engagement party, some of those secrets are bound to come out. Addison Acker-Mayweather, 16, hopes to find a way to reconnect with her twin brother, Mason, and their cousin Natalia, who is also 16. They used to be best friends, but after "the Incident" three years ago, they've drifted apart. Theo Hunt's dad is marrying the twins' mother, and Theo, 17, just wants to have a peaceful start with his new family. But the reunion doesn't go as planned, and the death of a teenager shows what happens when secrets threaten to be exposed. Told in the protagonists' alternating viewpoints and interspersed with hotel announcements, newspaper reports, and interview transcripts, Frick's novel has potential. The focus on "the Incident" throughout, with a reveal that feels rushed, makes this thriller drag in parts. The novel includes a bisexual character and a two-mother family with children of Puerto Rican and white descent. VERDICT This one may interest teens who enjoy thrillers, but the pacing detracts from the plot's strengths.-Rebekah J. Buchananα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.