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OLDER FICTION
Sher, Abby

Miss You Love You Hate You Bye

290 pp. | Farrar | February, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-0-374-30701-1 $17.99
(2) YA For most of her life, Hannah has idolized her best friend, Zoe: "Zoe was the sun, and I would gladly orbit her in whichever direction she chose." But now, just before their junior year, Hannah (whom Zoe has nicknamed "Hank") is shocked to see how much Zoe has changed. In the wake of her parents' breakup, Zoe has lost weight--a lot of weight--and obsessively attends exercise classes with her mom. She's pursuing internet fame via videos co-starring her new cat, but the scratches on her arms don't look feline to Hank. Hank tries to look past Zoe's unhealthy behaviors, but when she can no longer deny that Zoe is sick, she risks their friendship to get her the help she needs. Watching Zoe's implosion through Hank's eyes is wrenching, and the interspersed letters Zoe sends to Hank later, from an eating disorder facility, underscore Zoe's pain and anger. But the novel--written in a snappy, accessible style that lightens the subject matter without trivializing it--focuses on Hank and the effect Zoe has on her: Hank has neglected her mom and brother, other friendships, and her own interests (she's a talented piano player) in order to follow Zoe's lead. "I wanted to be you so badly," she writes back to Zoe. "And now--slowly--I am trying to figure out who I am without you."
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

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