PROOF OF FOREVER

Four high school friends on the verge of college attend a reunion party at Camp Okahatchee, the site of many life-changing experiences during their formative years.

Each girl has a different motivation for wanting to attend the party. Spoiled rich girl Tali intends to hook up with Blake, but a car accident reconnects her with a former camp counselor. Brainy Luciana, on the Princeton track, is setting up a romantic anniversary with her equally nerdy boyfriend. Tomboy and fencing champ Zoe hopes to resolve troubling personal issues related to sexuality. Joy, who brings the disparate group together for urgent motives of her own, confuses her friends with her mysterious activities and allegiances. Taking a group photo in the camp photo booth for old times’ sake magically catapults them back to camp five days prior to an earlier reunion two years ago and transforms them physically into their younger selves. Once they have grasped the situation, they realize that they are in danger of being permanently trapped, Back to the Future–style. The path to their successful re-entry into the present is a somewhat chaotic, action-filled journey in which important life lessons are learned. The third-person, present-tense narration shifts focus from girl to girl, driving those lessons home.

A quick, enjoyable read that should resonate with readers on the cusp of adulthood, especially former campers.