Reynolds, Jason. Twenty-Four Seconds from Now…: A LOVE Story. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy, 10/2024. 239 [+17]pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-6659-6127-1. GRADES 6–Adult. OUTSTANDING.
Jason Reynolds takes on the topic of teen romance and love, specifically examining the state of mind of seventeen-year-old Neon as he approaches the two-year anniversary of dating his girlfriend Aria. They have decided to have sex for the first time and the book opens at that moment—it’s going to happen in twenty-four seconds—if he can stop panicking and make it out of the bathroom. But then the story develops by unfolding in reverse order; each chapter is twenty-four something (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months) before the next chapter. We get to see Neon’s relationships with his family and friends as they give him all kinds of different advice about love, sex, and having a girlfriend. While he gets some questionable advice from his friend Dodi, his conversations with his older sister, mom, and dad are healthy explorations of topics like consent, respect, communication, virginity, intimacy, and porn. Reynolds’ masterful dialogue makes you feel like you are truly inside the characters, just eavesdropping on their conversations. A Coretta Scott King Author Award winner.
Rachael Reiley—Hillcrest Elementary K–8 / Oakland Unified School District