EVERY OTHER WEEKEND

Two teens from broken families find solace in one another’s company.

After the death of his oldest brother, Adam and the rest of his family grieve in ways that pull them apart. When Adam’s father moves out, Adam and his other brother alternate weekends with each of their parents. At his father’s apartment complex, Adam meets his neighbor Jolene, a 15-year-old aspiring filmmaker who is a pawn in her parents’ bitter divorce. Her father cheated on her mother with a much younger woman, and Jolene is forced to spend every other weekend with her since her father is never home. Though details of their situations differ, Adam’s and Jolene’s lives parallel one another as they develop a special kinship in which Jolene is a balm to soothe Adam’s grief and anger with his father and Adam offers a critical remedy for Jolene’s deep-rooted loneliness. Though the story feels long-winded at times, Johnson (Even If I Fall, 2019, etc.) has written a complex and emotionally charged character-driven story that explores a variety of painfully human themes, including loss and emotional abuse. Adam’s and Jolene’s struggles will draw readers in, and the slow-burning romance will touch readers’ hearts. The book situates whiteness as the norm; Jolene’s father’s girlfriend is Asian, and two of Jolene’s friends are dark skinned.

Heart-wrenching and hopeful—a reminder that we can change our stories.