Second Thoughts
High-school struggles and a distinctive teenager voice bring relatability to this paranormal romance drama.
As her senior year at Northbrook Academy approaches, Lainey Young is dealing with all the usual worries of a girl in her final year of high school: friends, college, and her boyfriend. For Lainey, though, having a vision of her own death complicates things even more. In this second installment of the Sententia series, Second Thoughts, Cara Bertrand once again delivers a dramatic paranormal thriller with all the mystery, secrets, and threats one could handle.
Now accustomed to her unique gifts, Lainey still has to figure out what she’s going to do after graduation … if she even makes it that far. On top of everything else at school, Senator Daniel Astor, the leader of the Perceptum, has taken an unlikely interest in her future, and the vision she had at the end of last year of her boyfriend, Carter, causing her death is as vague as ever. Unable to tell anyone the truth about either of these things, she finds her secrets mounting as time runs out.
As a former middle-school literacy teacher, Bertrand knows how teens talk—and don’t talk—to each other. Her dialogue rings true throughout, and the relationship issues her characters face will be familiar to anyone who has ever gone through the struggles of young friendship and dating. Placing these struggles in the environment of a boarding school where half of the kids have paranormal abilities adds immeasurable drama and suspense to the usual coming-of-age story. For example, it’s pretty common to have a girl in school who goes after other girls’ boyfriends, but when that girl is a siren, it really kicks the drama level up a notch.
Those who haven’t read the first book in this series, Lost in Thought, will want to start there. There are too many spoilers and not enough backstory review to begin with the second novel and not feel a little lost. Those who have read the first book will find that Lainey’s life is just as complex as ever, though sometimes in different ways than before, as she fine-tunes her control over her powers and is drawn into the influence of the senator. Packed with action, romance, wit, and unexpected twists, this novel, and the series, will appeal to fans of supernatural teen romance.
Reviewed by
Christine Canfield
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
