The Tension of Opposites

Tessa’s best friend Noelle was kidnapped off the street two years ago. For two years, Tessa has held on to the small sliver of hope that Noelle might still be alive. She has even put her own life on hold while waiting, trying not to make new friends or experience high school things like falling in love while Noelle is gone.

Then, Tessa gets the news that changes her life yet again. Noelle is alive. But her two years in captivity have changed her a lot, and she’s no longer the girl Tessa remembers her to be. Tessa is torn between growing into her own person with a first love, and staying loyal to her hurt and hurtful friend.

THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES is one of the nicest contemporary realistic YA fiction novels I’ve read in a long show more time. This is a great achievement by debut author Kristina McBride, easy readable, and full of relatable characters and turbulent emotions.

Kristina McBride’s writing pulls us into Tessa’s world from the very first page, and carefully explores the pain and confusion of the effects of trauma on a friendship. Tessa’s struggles to balance her own happiness with that of her friend’s is extremely well drawn, its subtleties clear and real. It’s not that we may necessarily agree with all of Tessa’s actions and beliefs: it’s more that we can see why she chooses to do what she does, just like a confused teenager dealing with a terrifyingly strange situation would.

The characterization is good, but not quite as good as I thought it could’ve been. Oftentimes Tessa’s inner turmoil seemed detached from her borderline cheeky conversations with her crush and friends. I also wanted to get a better sense of Tessa and Noelle’s friendship before the kidnapping, to contrast that with the drastically different relationship shown us in the novel. Noelle’s development felt choppy sometimes, one minute harsh, the next almost unconvincingly vulnerable. And I was unconvinced that Max, the love interest, would fall immediately for her and continue to pursue her after she so continually pushes him away. This is more wishful thinking for how teenage relationships go, than reality.

But perhaps these small issues I had with the book are actually regular behaviors for people in this situation, because one of the greatest things about THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES is that it is a prototype: I have not read anything like it before. And the small issues are basically me nitpicking anyway. Overall, this book was a fantastic read, and goes down like a smooth cup of your favorite refreshing beverage, with a thoughtful aftertaste. show less

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride pertains to the aftermath of a tragic event, and what people do to deal with the wake of such an event. When Tessa was a little girl, her best friend was kidnapped. The story centers around Tessa during her junior year, if I remember correctly, forgive me if I don't it's been a few weeks since I read the book. Anyways, we can see the psychological effects of this event on Tessa as she is portrayed as painfully shy, withdrawn and scared of her own shadow. She's got all this pent up guilt because she has a shot at a life which her best friend will never have. Cut to the future, where her kidnapped BFF, Noelle re-emerges. We see how exactly Noelle copes with surviving her ordeal which definitely show more included sexual assault, and how Tessa tries to fit back into Noelle's life.

The Tension of Opposites is not an easy book. It is not a beach read. However, this book will wrench your heart into a vice. You may want to lecture/shake Tessa, as her cautiousness can be overbearing. Let's be real here, I don't expect to get a laugh out of a book dealing with tragic events. What I did expect, I got -- I felt empathetic, I was moved, my heart did pound at some parts because there is some suspense. I got a story which absolutely engrossed me.

Too often, we complain about how in YA, girls often choose the boy over the friend. Girls will ditch their friends for the flavor of the week. We see friendships tinged with toxicity, where it seems status matters more than companionship. I loved that in Tension of Opposites, Tessa chooses the friend. She is there when she's needed -- even when Noelle may not particularly want her there. We see the girls have a few spats, which is apt to happen between friends. I love that I got a portrait of friendship put through the ringer -- so to speak. Of course, realize changes do occur, one can't come back from being assaulted, kidnapped, and abused and still be the same person.

The book is definitely not all doom and gloom though. There is a boy. Isn't there always a boy? From what I remember, he struck me as being sensitive, yet was not exactly perfect. By this I mean, he struck me as a jerk, yet there was reason. However, being a jerk is way not cool. BUT on the one hand, I don't want male characters to be perfect, on the other, let's not idolize DBs. Either way, I liked that he was well-rounded. show less

The Tension of Opposites is one of those novels that pulls you in from the first lines and refuses to let you go until you've read every last word. Devour is almost too tame a word to describe how quickly I read this novel... inhale might be a better fit. It's always a magical experience when a reader finds an author whose writing style fits perfectly with his or her preferences - and I'm happy to say that I experienced that magic with Tension.

I feel that I should mention that the the description of Tension only conveys the darker elements of the plot, despite the fact that there is plenty of lighter material in the novel as well. Not only are both light and dark elements present, they are perfectly balanced. With a novel that show more addresses such a heavy topic, attempts at lighter material may be awkward and disrupt the flow of the novel, but this isn't so with Tension: it plunged into the inky dark depths of emotion and managed an amazing love story. The fact that the story is told from the point-of-view of the victim's best friend offered a unique perspective and, I think, ultimately allowed McBride to write such a balanced story. I would have been frustrated if the entire story was dark, since Tessa is the narrator and I wanted her to move past the traumatizing event and find happiness, despite the horrors that Noelle suffered. It will never be something that she will forget, but she can't postpone her life indefinitely, no matter how much she loves Tessa.In ways, I thought the fact that Noelle lost so many things provided even more reasons that Tessa shouldn't. Noelle had those things taken... Tessa shouldn't just give them up.

Tessa and Noelle's relationship was painful and heartbreaking. I felt for Tessa... She waited so long to regain her best friend, guilty and afraid to live her own life after Noelle's had been cruelly shattered. When Noelle returns home, Tessa knows that things won't be the same, but nothing can prepare her for the new Noelle... Elle, who doesn't seem to have even a glimmer of Noelle left in her. At the same time, I understand why Noelle had to adopt this new persona: Noelle, Tessa's best friend, is dead. I think McBride accurately conveyed Tessa's POV, which is different than most other YA novels dealing with the same topic, as they usually told from the victim's POV.

One of the brightest elements of the novel is the romance between Tessa and Max, the boy who finds a way past Tessa's carefully constucted walls and into her heart. Max and Tessa's relationship is one of my absolute favorites... and I read a lot of good love stories. I think the realistic quality of their story is what really won me over... I believed in their story. That and the fact that there is the definite possiblity that it might not work out between them and I desperately believed that they should be together! Tessa's ready to do anything to help Noelle, including giving up her own happiness... and Max. show less

For someone who grew up watching true crime and investigation shows, I was a bit nervous that this book would be completely unrealistic and dolled up for the pages. Fortunately, Kristina McBride did her research. The Tension Of Opposites was mysterious, intense and very real.

We didn’t get much of a glimpse into Tessa’s life while Noelle was missing, but when she comes home, it’s a whirlwind of drama and emotions as she tries to rebuild her friendship with Noelle, who doesn’t want anything to do with her anymore. And while getting inside Noelle, or ‘Elle’ as she dubbed herself after arriving home with a darker attitude, would’ve been interesting, I was immediately hooked on Tessa’s thoughts while she dealt with her once show more best friend’s extreme personality change. It’s something that crime and investigation shows don’t show too much of - the friend that is hurting just as much as anybody in the family is.

But while Tessa tries to cope with Elle’s fascination for breaking rules and being in the spotlight, she finds light in an enigmatic boy named Max. He’s insanely sweet and keeps her level, and their romance is so special because it’s flawed and realistic. It’s not perfect and giggly and it’s definitely not something from a fairytale; Max can be a bit impatient and Tessa has a tendency to put Elle above everyone else, including herself. It was just another reason why I loved how raw and real this story was; it was completely believable. All of it.

Overall, The Tension Of Opposites is an intense and suspenseful novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Kristina McBride writes an enthralling story that proves that even the safe return of a missing child can be as dark and depressing as the kidnapping in the first place. With perfectly written raw emotions, an admirable teenage romance and realistic crime scenarios, I definitely think this one is worth checking out! show less

It's a terrible nightmare, especially for parents, to have a child taken from them, to have no word if she's alive or dead. And, when their child finally comes home, she's been through something so traumatic, she's a totally different person. I can't even imagine.

But this story isn't told from the parents' perspective. It's told from the viewpoint of Noelle's best friend in the whole entire world, Tessa. Tessa is an introvert, more comfortable behind the lens of her camera, while Noelle was the extrovert, dragging Tessa out into the world. But as soon as Noelle disappeared, Tessa retreated, abandoning everyone but Darcy (who is too stubborn to allow Tessa to ditch her).

Then, Noelle returns. Her hair is stringy and black. She demands to show more be called Elle, because Noelle is dead (metaphorically). At first, she won't talk to anyone, even Tessa. And Tessa is frantic to see her. After all, she's been dreaming of her friend for two years.

In the midst of all this drama, Tessa finds a guy, Max. Max is gentle and understanding but with the stubbornness required to get behind Tessa's wall. He was a great character. I'd date him and I got frustrated with Tessa's reluctance to do so.

Actually, I got frustrated with Tessa quite a bit. I mean, I totally get being an introvert. But to close yourself off from the world and refuse to interact with it when your friend disappears? Yes, it's a terrible thing but she lets it take over her entire life. And when Noelle finally comes back, Tessa is even more obsessed with her, ditching Max on multiple occasions because she thinks Noelle needs her.

Despite my frustration with Tessa, I still blazed through the novel because I wanted to see what happened with Noelle, with Tessa and Noelle, and with Tessa and Max. The interesting, dynamic (and, at times, frustrating) characters really make this novel shine, and McBride tells a difficult story very well. show less

Excellent first novel about friendship. Sophomore Tessa has withdrawn into herself in the past two years since her best friend Noelle was abducted from the park; no one knows if Noelle is alive or dead, and Tessa has found it hard to get close to anyone again. But now suddenly two things happen: she meets a nice guy to whom she is attracted, who shares her interest in photography, and--Noelle contacts her family and is rescued by the police! Now Tessa has to figure out how to rekindle their friendship, now that "Elle" as she prefers to be called, is a changed girl. But can Tessa handle balancing the new cynical Elle and her need to protect her, with her growing relationship with Max?

When Tessa McMullen's best friend was abducted, Tessa's life stopped as well. After two years with no word, Tessa is still holding herself away from life, not allowing herself to do any of the things that her missing best friend can't do. But when Noelle returns, Tessa has to find a way to start living again.

That's not a very good summary, but it's intentional. The Tension of Opposites is a book that moves in unexpected directions, and so I don't want to oversummarize it. The book is written from Tessa's point of view, and so we learn about what has happened at the same rate that Tessa does. We don't know what has happened to Noelle, or how she will act when she returns, and we have to learn to trust Tessa's new friends just as she show more does.

The Tension of Opposites is also a very well-written book, and I would happily launch into a discussion of its technical merits, but I would rather you discover them for yourself. This is absolutely a not-to-be-missed book. show less