Robin Benway

What happens when someone who disappeared suddenly is found? What is the aftermath like? This book takes a look at the emotional impact of a child spirited away by the non-custodial parent and "found" as a teen. The most interesting thing about this novel is how Ms. Benway manages to hit all the emotions - relief, awkwardness, ambivalence, anger, mistrust. Oliver's disappearance doesn't just affect him or his family - his friends left behind also struggle with the repercussions of fear that show more ripple through the community. It's a great and nuanced story. show less

Twins Aggie and Jac are moving from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, and they are feeling different ways about the move - and about other things. Jac is started to get interested in fashion and face masks, while Aggie still loves her Build-A-Bears, but both girls become friends with Tink, who lives on their street and captains a ragtag softball team. Also on the team: Tink's penguin-obsessed, hyperactive younger sister Josephine (NOT Joey), daughter of a celebrity Housewife Dylan, pianist Marnie show more (whose parents are separated), transgender Taylor, and entrepreneur Adri (the proceeds of her lemonade stand all benefit kids at the hospital that helped her brother, who died before she was born). Each girl - and both of Jac and Aggie's dads - are distinct characters with depth, not simply a backdrop to highlight Jac and Aggie's different feelings about the changes that are coming at them fast and furious: the move, the new house and new school, first crushes, first periods, and the looming threat of wildfire during a Southern California heatwave. There's some excellent parenting, too - even Aggie and Jac recognize they have it pretty good - and there's Jack the Rat for comic relief. A memorable book.

Quotes

Usually she could talk to Aggie about anything. It was like having another half of herself to discuss things with, or sort through all of her thoughts, but lately, Jac felt like they were becoming...different....Deep in her heart of hearts, she wasn't sure she could talk to Aggie about the bigger things if she was already bored by the small stuff. (75)

"I know you have it a lot worse than me."
Dylan shrugged. "It's not a competition. And anyway, it still sucks." (130)

Sometimes being angry was easier than being sad. (Aggie, 158)

"But that's exactly it!" Aggie cried. "I've known her for so long, and now it's like I don't know her at all....I guess I don't know how to keep up." (162)

Jac could feel herself getting irritated in her own skin, her attitude starting to annoy even herself, but she could never quite figure out how to rein it in, how to calm down and not feel so frustrated. (181)

"I feel like I can't be myself, but I don't know who else to be." (Jac, 186) show less

A year ago, Leo's older sister Nina was killed in a car crash that Leo and Nina's boyfriend East survived. East remembers the details of the accident but won't tell Leo, who doesn't remember anything. The story is told in reverse chronological order, and while Leo never regains her memory, the reader gets the scene of the accident. The unique structure lends some tension and mystery to a story whose end readers know at the start. Leo and East's grief is real on the page, as is Leo's mom, her show more dad, and her (excellent, stereotype-breaking) stepmom Stephanie, who gets pregnant in the year after Nina's death.

See also: We Were Liars by e. lockhart, Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen

Quotes

"I know Nina wouldn't want me to be sad, but it's like I don't know how to be happy without her." (Leo to her dad, 29)

"Love doesn't just disappear once someone's gone. Right?" (Leo to Stephanie, 46)

The sound of a siren still sets her teeth on edge, makes her entire body tense up and wait for something that has already, tragically happened. (93)

...when she's alone at night, Leo can pretend, and pretending at night is what gets her through the days. (116)

"I know you can't remember, but I can't forget." (East to Leo, 137)

"No. You do not get to apologize to me for something that you could fix if you wanted to." (Leo to East, 157)

Grief is a language they don't have to speak. It communicates just fine on its own. (196)

The problem with the worst thing happening to you, Leo thinks, is that it makes every other scary thought not just possible but suddenly, menacingly probable... (197-198)

"People want you to rush through grief so that they can feel better. Don't let them do that to you, okay?" (East to Leo, 209)

She needs the glasses like they had had during the last solar eclipse, something to shield her from the blinding pain of someone else's white-hot grief. (270)

"We all grieve differently. Nobody's doing it wrong." (East to Leo, 279) show less

This review originally appeared on Book.Blog.Bake.

Also Known As completely charmed me. I was a bit worried going into it–teenage spies? really?–but it won me over in the end. I know the teenage spy books have always been popular, but they’re never really been my thing. However, I really loved the humor in Audrey, Wait!, Robin Benway’s debut novel, so I decided to give it a chance. Even though Also Known As did require some suspension of disbelief, I was relieved to find it never felt show more ridiculous or over-the-top to me. Looking back, maybe parts should have, but I was enthralled with Maggie’s story enough that I breezed right through those parts.

I really liked the insights into Maggie’s safe-cracking ability. If you’re going to make me believe that this teenage girl really can crack almost any code, you better give me some proof, and, well, Benway did. She showed her intelligence in other ways throughout the novel, even though she definitely slipped up at times(as is understandable).
But even more than Maggie’s spy activities, I really loved the glimpse of this girl who has been anything but normal all along trying to be a normal teenager. She’s a fish out of water from the start, and it doesn’t take long for that to lead to some humorous moments but also some really poignant moments of friendship. I love that strong friendships have been components of both books I’ve read from Robin Benway. I also really liked seeing Maggie’s relationships with her parents in Also Known As. It’s unconventional, due to the nature of their work, but it’s a strong relationship and it’s nice to see parents be so involved in YA.

Jesse Oliver, the love interest, was smile-worthy as well. I loved seeing Maggie interact with a boy she has a potential interest in and trying to figure out HOW to navigate the world of romantic relationships, which is an area she’s had little experience in. Their interactions are sweet and sometimes awkward, but mostly adorable.

Even though there’s some spy activity in this book, it was mostly just a cute read. I think that might disappoint some people who want Also Known As to be a little more, but it was right what I wanted at the time. I read this one after finishing some quite lengthy and serious books, and getting to enjoy Maggie’s world for a little bit was highly enjoyable and amusing. I did have a few minor issues towards the end about how something happens and Maggie doesn’t try to inform her parents, which I think would have taken care of a lot of the problems, but I’ll let it slide since it worked out well in the end. show less