A Split Second by Janae Marks

What worked:

Elise goes to sleep during her birthday sleepover and wakes up to discover six months have passed. Readers will know something supernatural has happened but Elise doesn’t know if she’s time jumped or is suffering from amnesia. She wants to know what happened during the missing time so readers will accompany her on the investigation. At some point, her best friends stopped speaking to her so Elise wants to know what she did to cause that. Her struggle is complicated by the fact that others in Elise’s life have memories of her recent experiences but she doesn’t know how to ask them for help. She finally reconnects with a girl named Cora who used to be a good friend years ago.

The trouble starts when Elise receives a necklace on her birthday from an anonymous person. She falls asleep in the basement with the amulet in her hand and wakes up in her room not knowing what’s happened. She visits the store where the amulet was purchased and the strange, old owner remembers selling two of them to a young girl. Elise notices the woman somehow knows her name. It turns out the young girl in question is Cora and she’s wearing the same necklace! Readers will begin to wonder if Cora has anything to do with what’s happened, is it something the old woman did, or could it be something totally unexpected?

The book is divided into two halves as it focuses on Elise first and Cora later. Sharing the story from Elise’s point of view allows readers to empathize with her struggles to uncover the mystery. It’s frustrating, confusing, and disturbing to not know what she’s been doing for the past six months. When did she join the photography club and why? Elise becomes overwhelmed with the isolation she feels from being dumped into this new life. Midway through the book, readers encounter Cora’s perspective of what’s going on. Cora has secrets and personal issues that have complicated her life and she needs to cooperate with Elise to resolve them. The two friends support each other as they navigate their problems but the author adds a big twist that throws the plot into turmoil.

What didn’t work as well:

The conflict related to losing six months of life is a problem but the story doesn’t create much tension. The worst thing that’s happened is Elise’s former best friends aren’t speaking to her but it’s not like she’s unpopular or ostracized. However, a revelation is made later in the book and a complication arises to create urgency in the plot.

The final verdict:

Readers will experience a new angle about friendship and the confusion it can cause. Elise’s time jump provides mystery to the plot but the issue of friendship is a key to solving it. The conflict is predictable but the resolution is satisfying and pleasing. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.