Review: The In-Between by Barbara Stewart

The In-Between by Barbara Stewart
Publisher: St.Martins Griffin
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

When Elanor’s near-death experience opens a door to a world inhabited by bold, beautiful Madeline, she finds her life quickly spiraling out of control

Fourteen-year-old Elanor Moss has always been an outcast who fails at everything she tries—she's even got the fine, white scars to prove it. Moving was supposed to be a chance at a fresh start, a way to leave behind all the pain and ugliness of her old life. But, when a terrible car accident changes her life forever, her near-death experience opens a door to a world inhabited by Madeline Torus . . . Madeline is everything Elanor isn’t: beautiful, bold, brave. She is exactly what Elanor has always wanted in a best friend and more—their connection runs deeper than friendship. But Madeline is not like other girls, and Elanor has to keep her new friend a secret or risk being labeled “crazy.” Soon, though, even Elanor starts to doubt her own sanity. Madeline is her entire life, and that life is drastically spinning out of control. Elanor knows what happens when your best friend becomes your worst enemy. But what happens when your worst enemy is yourself?

With her debut novel, The In-Between, Barbara Stewart presents a bold new voice in teen fiction.

My Thoughts:
Wow just WOW!  This book is so real that's scary.  I have several books that revolve around the same thing as this one but I have never felt the way I feel right now.  My heart is in shambles and I'm not sure how long it will take it to mend.

The story, oh my this story.  Ellie is trying to start over.  She is in middle school and to put it nicely she is a social outcast.  After her attempted suicide her family picks up everything and moves.  Then the unthinkable happens, when Ellie wakes up her new beginning isn't the one she was prepared for and things quickly start unraveling.

This whole story was a mind twist and very creepy.  In the beginning I just wanted to figure out what was going on and then when Ellie woke up for the second time I was like OH I get it!  Yeah I wasn't even close to figuring everything out.  By the end I was almost in tears and if you know me then you know that I am not a crier so this was huge.  I cried not only for Ellie, but for her mom and Madeline.  You honestly have no clue where things are going until the very end and let me tell you they explode at the end.  Everything comes together in a very crazy way, but it makes perfect sense.  In any other story I am not sure I would have bought the ending, but Ms.Stewart has a wonderful way with words and she created such indepth characters that you just have to believe it.

Normally in YA books the parents aren't ever really around, but Ellie's mom was there from the beginning and I really loved her role in this.  Yes she said some things that weren't called for, but in the end she just wanted to help her daughter the best way she knew how.  She wasn't perfect but at least she held her ground and kept to being a parent rather than a friend to Ellie.  Her role could have gone downhill very fast after learning about a certain life altering situation, but she just really took it in stride and never looked back.  Major props to the author for letting this character be just a mom.

This book fits onto my must read shelf nicely.  It is creepy with an insane reality added on that will definitely leave you thinking.  This will not be my last book by this author I promise you that!

4 Snowflakes