What the Other Three Don't Know

by Spencer Hyde

[sstaley]

This is the second book I've read from this author and let's just say, he keeps it real. So far his books have been written for teens and young adults but they also have clear messages for adult readers too.

This book is about four teens with major troubles in their lives that they are trying to deal with. I could totally relate to how they felt and dealt with issues. You see, both of my kids have what other people would refer to as, "problems". They are/were not your average teens. Some reviews of this book say that they were stereotypes and were not believable; I want to say that I strongly disagree. Indie was dealing with the death of her mom who'd died in a river rafting accident and hasn't been able to forgive their river guide Nash who was there when her mother drowned. Skye was not only dealing with losing a leg in a car accident but one that he had caused to happen from driving and texting. Wyatt is a teen that is gay but afraid to tell the real world about his sexuality. The final teen is Shelby, a rich, beautiful "Instagram" girl who is hiding a secret and wears wigs because she has Alopecia. I liked their voices. I felt their journeys to find their true selves were realistic.

Being thrown into an adventure of five days on a river rafting trip together can change people. They all were out of their comfort zones. All of the teens had lessons to learn ranging from accepting others, being true to yourself, and forgiving others. I was very moved by this story and I want my teen to read it.

The action in the last half of the book was very intense. I listened to running river water on Youtube as I read this book and I felt like I was on the river with these characters. I have gone white water rafting and it is scary and exhilarating all at the same time. This story of finding friendship in an odd situation was a great read for me.