One Past Midnight

by Jessica Shirvington

[shannonmiz]

Let’s get it out of the way: I loved this book. It made me smile, it made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me think, it pretty much checked every single emotional box. There were characters I loved, characters I hated, and pretty much every imaginable character in between.

Sabine lives two lives, switching between them every 24 hours. No one else knows that she lives both lives, and she is careful to keep them separate. In one life, she comes from a wealthy family, is popular, and has the seemingly perfect friends and boyfriend. In the other, she comes from the “wrong side” of town, complete with a messy family situation, and only one true friend, but a sister that she adores. But, the lying and switching between lives has taken a huge toll on Sabine’s psyche, and she is eager to find a way out. When she breaks her arm in one life and it (for the first time) doesn’t transfer to the other life, she tries to see just how far she can push things, if maybe she can leave one life behind for good.

Of course, things aren’t that easy, and Sabine finds herself in some precarious situations in both lives. Along the way, she meets Ethan, the one person who might actually believe that her lives are real. Ethan is… sigh. We all need an Ethan.

I can’t talk much more about any of the characters or plot points without giving stuff away, unfortunately. But my heart broke for Sabine time and time again. How isolating, how confusing, how scary her situation would be. Never knowing who to trust, or which path to choose; always having to keep every detail of a full second life fresh in your mind would be hellish. I could absolutely feel every bit of Sabine’s anguish. She also grew remarkably as a character during the book, which was so wonderful to watch.

I raced through reading this, unable to put it down, begging to know what choices Sabine would make, or what the ramifications in one life would be on the other. This is the kind of book that makes you think “what if?” the entire time.

The end wasn’t cut and dry, nor did it wrap everything up in a neat little package. But it worked. And it made me feel hopeful, without it feeling unbelievable.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jessica Shirvington, but it will definitely not be the last. With well fleshed-out characters, an exciting and thought provoking plot, and lots of emotional connection, One Past Midnight earned itself a spot on my favorites list!