BREAK TO YOU

Narrators Elisa Meléndez and JaQwan Kelly perform this audiobook about two teens in juvenile detention. Adriana, voiced by Meléndez, keeps her head down and writes in her journal to get through her short sentence. After accidentally leaving her journal in the library, Adriana retrieves it and finds that a boy has responded to her thoughts and written back. Jon, voiced by Kelly, has been in detention for years after a tragic situation. Because the facility keeps the genders strictly separated, finding a way to each other is a complicated and exciting journey. Both narrators voice several easily distinguished characters. While Meléndez's readings of Adriana's poetry frequently fall flat, the emotional performances realistically depict feelings of injustice, frustration, and even budding love. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2024]