One Past Midnight

Another winner from Jessica Shirvington.  One Past Midnight had me sucked in from the very beginning.  The idea alone was intriguing.  Add her writing talent to that and it was a total success for me.  The story follows Sabine, a girl plagued with two lives.  Every night at midnight she "Shifts" between her two worlds, forced to live every day twice.  After spending the day in one life, she shifts back to the exact moment she left in the other life.

In one life she is part of a rich family with two older brothers and divorced parents.  She is one half of the most envied couple in school, although she is somewhat repulsed by Dex's kisses.  Her life is pretty much the picture of perfect.  In her other life she has a little sister she absolutely adores and two workaholic parents.  She is a bit of a punk, considered somewhat of a troublemaker, with a best friend her parents don't approve of.  All she wants is to have a normal life like everyone around her.

After she turns eighteen, things start to change.  When she breaks her arm in one life, the injury doesn't carry over to the other life.  Encouraged by this new development, she begins to experiment.  First she cuts and dyes her hair.  Then she hurts herself.  Finally, she poisons herself.  None of the effects carry over.  Her dream of a normal life may be attainable after all, she just has to choose which one she wants.

I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the idea of the two lives, and the author did a fabulous job of writing the less than appealing reality that would pose.  In eighteen years of actually living, Sabine has to live thirty-six years of days.  The weight of juggling two lives drags her down.  It definitely makes you see that no matter how bad you think your life is, it could be worse.  Also, the author does a good job of showing that no matter how perfect someone's life may appear to be, everyone has problems to overcome.  It was a very engaging book.  I felt right there with Sabine when she was going through all the struggles life was throwing at her.  I would definitely recommend this book.  Happy reading!