Gr 9 Up—An almost fatal incident at the community pool turns a typical summer's day into a temporal pivot point that upends two teenagers' lives. Nick, swim star and lifeguard, freezes when called upon to rescue a beloved high school teacher, so December uses her gift of pre-cognition to save Mr. Francis. This sets off a chain of events that December senses will ultimately lead to profound love and profound loss for both her and Nick—despite the fact that they are virtual strangers. As December seeks to move closer to Nick and to the experience of first love that she never thought could be hers, Nick seeks to solve the mystery of December's missing mother and come to terms with what it means to be a good person who sometimes makes bad choices in an uncertain world. Despite the magical elements introduced by December's "gift," this high-school romance does convey the real stresses and challenges of teen life in the modern age while simultaneously asking important questions about the nature of truth, the existence of free will, and the power of love. VERDICT This love-story-cum-fantasy set in our very real world is recommended for high school collections and will particularly appeal to readers who like their YA romance with a bit of a thriller vibe.—Kelly Kingrey-Edwards