Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

It's never easy to lose a sibling. When you actually see your younger brother die in front of you, though, it's even worse.

That's what happened when Justin, playing around with his twelve-year-old brother, Mark, saw his brother accidentally shoot himself in the head with their father's gun. For almost a year now, Justin has been plagued by ever-increasing problems. The guilt is horrible, as are the questions that keep running through his mind: Was Mark's death his fault? Did Mark really shoot himself by accident?

Although Justin is supposed to be on medication to help with his depression, he's stopped taking it. There's a voice inside his head that makes him relive his brother's death over and over again on a daily basis. His mother is alternately hostile and nonchalant towards her remaining son. His father doesn't have much to say beyond "don't upset your mother." In this family, guilt is a constant, nagging reminder of what could have been, and what is instead.

Ms. Morgenroth is great at creating realistic situations and characters that pull at the heartstrings. Although you can see this family breaking down inside the pages of ECHO, it's not immediately clear how each family member is dealing with Mark's death -- or, rather, not dealing with it.

I recommend this book for older teens, especially those who have dealt with loss and/or depression. ECHO is a psychological thriller that you won't want to miss. ( )

A year previously, Justin's little brother Mark accidentally shot himself as Justin looked on. A year later, Justin, a social outcast, begins hearing voices in his head. That day, Justin, accidentally shoves a boy down the stairs. Thinking the boy is dead, Justin goes home and attempts suicide. Instead of dying, he wakes up to live the previous day again, a pattern that keeps repeating.

This book was a slog, and at 144 pages, that's saying something. Justin is not likable or sympathetic, and while that may be the point, it makes it hard to care about what happens to him. The twist at the end of the book makes what came before clear, but it's work to get there. (cross-posted from MeriJenBen) ( )

Interesting concept, but too repetitive for my liking. I felt like the other students' responses toward Justin were not that well explained and I would have preferred more of a backstory rather than the same day over and over. ( )

ECHO is a tragic and heart-wrenching tale of loss and one brother's experience of dealing with the post-traumatic stress following the incident that takes his younger brother's life.It's been a year since Justin's younger brother, Mark, died from an accidental gun shot to the head. Both boys were watching TV in their parents' bedroom and started rough housing over the control of the remote control. Justin was easily able to overpower Mark because of his increased size and strength. In retaliation, Mark reached into their parents' bedside table and retrieved a handgun and jokingly pointed it at Justin, demanding him to hand over the remote. Justin, knowing Mark is kidding blows the demand off and continues watching TV. Mark decides to put the gun to his own head and say, "If you don't change the channel, I'm gonna kill the kid," in a gruff voice. Justin replies, "Be my guest." The next thing he knows the gun goes off and blood is spattered all over him and his brother dies in front of him.The remainder of the story takes place while Justin goes through the motions of getting through the 1 year anniversary of Mark's death. The reader goes through it with Justin as he relives it three days in a row. All the while, Justin is prompted by a voice in his head that offers encouragement and motivation to continue the heart-breaking day. The story is like the movie Groundhog Day without ANY of the comedy. Each day Justin sees things a little bit differently that allows him to have a clearer picture of what happened. Even with the small changes he makes during the day, the end result is always the same. Justin's ex-best-friend, Billy, falls down the stairs at school.The reader will feel the pain Justin feels as he makes his way back from post-traumatic stress syndrome. ECHO is another wonderful story by Kate Morgenroth. If you haven't become familiar with her as an author yet, this is the time. ( )

A boy named Justin goes through the same trials over and over again as the voice provokes him; makes it's presence known. It opens with the tragic death of his little brother and then leaves the rest of the story for us to watch him and his family learn to cope with his absence. We go through the same day over and over again - but with slight changes. The thrill is completely unimaginable!

I absolutely loved how from the very beginning the author used shock tactics to draw in the audience, bringing more heights for the readers to venture. I would recommend this for all types of readers from every genre and every age group. I would most recommend it to junior high schoolers or high schoolers though because of how much of a light read it is - I'm quite a slow reader but it still only took me one night to get to the last page.

My favorite quote from the book:

"The kids pushed and shoved, jostling to get off the bus. Justin wondered what they were in such a hurry to get to. He certainly wasn't in any rush, so he sat and waited until the last one had clumped down the steps, before he got up and walked to the front of the bus. Then, instead of clattering down like all the other kids, he paused at the top of the steps.

The bus driver must have sensed Justin's reluctance because he said suddenly, 'I know how you feel, kid. I'd rather go back to prison than have to go back to high school.' "

Lovely, huh? ( )