Saving Zoe »

ALYSON NOËL lives in Laguna Beach, California. Blue Moon is her eighth young adult novel.

In Alyson Noël's newest teen novel, one sister's secrets save the other's life—in more ways than one.

Meet fifteen-year-old Echo, a typical teen trying to survive high school without being totally traumatized by boy trouble, friend drama, and school issues. As if she didn't have enough on her plate, Echo is also still dealing with the murder of her sister Zoë. Although it's been over a year, Echo is still reeling from tragedy that changed everything. Beautiful and full of life, Zoë was the glue that held her family together, and although the two sisters were as different as night and day, they still had a bond that Echo can't let go of. When Zoë's old boyfriend Marc shows up one day with Zoë's diary, Echo doesn't think there's anything in there she doesn't already know. But as she gives in to curiosity and starts reading, she learns that her sister led a secret life that no one could have guessed—not even Echo.

VOYA

In the aftermath of her sister Zod's murder, Echo struggles to piece things together. Her parents hide behind work and prescriptions, school friends stare and whisper, and no one can reach Echo's inner sanctum of grief except Zod's boyfriend Marc. When Marc produces Zod's diary, her secrets tumble out: sex, drugs, true love, and ultimately death by an Internet stalker. Using the diary, Echo repairs her grieving family, eases Marc's guilt, and stops another sexual predator. Author of Kiss and Blog (Griffin/St. Martin's, 2007/VOYA June 2007), Nodl tells the story through the first-person narrative of Zod's and Echo's diaries, using a conversational style that makes a quick read. Many secondary characters are undeveloped, and the setting is nearly nonexistent, but readers will not find it difficult to follow Echo's internal dilemmas. A few things could be made clearer, and it is sometimes difficult to figure out the timing between Zod's and Echo's diary entries. Also the novel's intensity wavers between Zod's murder and the crimes of another predator whom Echo and Zod both meet. The plethora of sexual predators detracts from a single emotional impact. That said, these issues merit discussion, and Nodl presents them without preaching or judging. Purchase where teen drama, such as The Keys to the Golden Firebird (HarperCollins, 2004/VOYA June 2004) or The Alison Rules (HarperCollins, 2004/VOYA December 2004), is popular.