When every single person in her small town of Lithia disappears, July Fielding finds her only chance at finding them is through a series of objects, each a reminder of the people she loves most, and a mysterious message: GET TH3M BACK. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)
When teen July Fielding discovers everyone in her hometown disappeared, her only chance to unravel the mystery is a series of objects, each a reminder of the people she loved most. - (Baker & Taylor)
“An eerily beautiful and lyrical story of loss, grief, and how quickly relationships can change, while also changing us.” —Robin Benway, National Book Award winner and bestselling author of Far From The Tree and A Year to the Day
“Fast-paced, unputdownable, and full of heart and complicated emotions. An unforgettable story.” —Yamile Saied Méndez, Pura Belpré Award–winning author of Furia, a Reese’s Book Club selection
What would you do if everyone you love disappeared? What if it was your fault?
For July Fielding, nothing has been the same since that summer before senior year.
Once, she had Alex, her loyal best friend, the one who always had her back. She had Sydney, who pushed her during every cross-country run, and who sometimes seemed to know July better than she knew herself. And she had Sam. Sam, who told her she was everything and left her breathless with his touch.
Now, July is alone. Every single person in her small town of Lithia has disappeared. No family. No Alex or Sydney. No Sam. July’s only chance at unraveling the mystery of their disappearance is a series of objects, each a reminder of the people she loved most. And a mysterious message: GET TH3M BACK.
From the #1 bestselling author of the Matched series, The Only Girl in Town is a searingly candid reckoning with both love and loneliness that perfectly distills the messy, beautiful realities of growing up, growing apart, and the courageous act of self-discovery. - (Penguin Putnam)
Ally Condie is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Matched trilogy and co-author of the Darkdeep middle grade series. She is also the author of the novel Summerlost, an Edgar Award Finalist. A former English teacher, Ally lives with her family outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. Ally has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is the founder and director of the nonprofit WriteOut Foundation. Visit Ally online at allycondie.com, or follow her on Twitter: @allycondie. - (Penguin Putnam)
I am walking back from the water when it happens. I am looking down at my hands in the late-summer sun. It is the time of day when afternoon slides into dusk. I am looking at them, thinking, these are my hands, that is so strange.
My hands are my hands. Like in kindergarten when you have to practice writing your name over and over again until it looks so weird. You start to wonder, Is this really my name? This can’t be my name. Like a straggle of string unraveled from a sweater, a trail made by a snake in the mud.
I am thinking that and then
I feel the world
empty around me.
Cicadas stop screaming.
Cars stop humming along the road past the edge of the wood.
My phone, which had been buzzing buzzing buzzing in my pocket, goes silent. When I pull it out, it’s cold and dead. When I turn it on, there is no signal.
In the distance, the water splashes over the spillway, but no one calls or cries out.
I know before I know
that everyone is gone.
Booklist Reviews
Suddenly faced with being the only living soul left in her small town, teen cross-country runner July is determined to get her loved ones back and figure out the meaning—and person—behind the strange messages she's finding in unlikely places. With only her cat for company in the present, July shares her story in alternating time lines of before and after everyone went missing, leading to a surprise ending that brings out themes of loyalty and doing the right thing. With limited characters for July to interact with, the pace is maintained through the driving question of "What happened?" This question applies both to the mysterious disappearances and to July herself, who repeatedly alludes to events in her many relationships, without specifics, until her story draws to a close. A novel that sometimes dips into verse, The Only Girl in Town may appeal to fans of the classic Z for Zachariah and Virginia Bergin's H2O.High-Demand Backstory: Condie is a frequent name on the New York Times best-seller list, and her many fans will be eager for her latest book. Grades 8-12. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
One summer day, rising high school senior July Fielding is walking back to her car from an afternoon at Fall Creek when she has the sudden realization that she's all alone—not just in the woods, but in her town as well. Her family isn't at home, no one is answering her texts, and when she tries to leave town, an invisible barrier prevents her from crossing city limits. As July frantically tries to uncover who or what is leaving her mysterious "GET THEM BACK" messages and determine where everyone went, alternating sections titled "Once" and "Now" chart her life before and after her loved ones' disappearances. But as July delves deeper into the current mystery, memories of previous drama begin to unfurl, blurring the line between past and present. Liminal-feeling therapy session interstitials provide glimpses into July's struggles with her mental health. July's raw and sometimes unreliable narration amps up the suspense in this cleverly rendered speculative read by Condie (The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe), who ruminates on issues of anxiety and depression in a way that feels at once fresh and grounded. Characters read as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Sept.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly.
