Scarlett is the school valedictorian and everybody in her small town knows that she's smart, a community leader, and destined to go places. Her nucleus of friends has been close forever, including her boyfriend Cody, best friend Hannah, and smart bad-boy David. In her first person narrative, Scarlett moves back and forth in time, with a focus on high school sophomore and senior years and then college freshman year. Scarlett and David are the only ones who are smart enough and can afford to go out of state for college, and they discover much more than that in common the summer after graduation. The electricity between them becomes all-consuming, and alters their other relationships and their futures. Looking back on her eventful last two years, writing during the summer after her college freshman year, Scarlett's reflections examine space and time from her physics non-linear orientation in her attempt to understand all that has happened to herself and those she cares about. I found this novel to be very engaging and smart and thought-provoking. ( )

Grades: 9-12
Literary Merit: Very Good
Characterization: Very Good
Recommended

As Many Nows As I Can Get shifts back and forth in time to trace Scarlett’s journey from her senior year of high school in a small, economically struggling Colorado town through her freshman year of college in a small liberal arts college in Maine. During the summer after she graduates from high school, Scarlett becomes entangled in a secret, and ultimately toxic, relationship with her ex-boyfriend’s best friend David. David has “bad boy” appeal while also being over achiever Scarlett’s intellectual equal. David leads Scarlett into some bad decisions, but the relationship comes to an end when they both leave home to go to colleges on opposite ends of the country. Just as Scarlett is beginning to get settled at school her world is rocked by a shocking discovery and an unexpected tragedy that will change her life forever.

This novel deals with topics ranging from opioid abuse and teen pregnancy to moving away from home for the first time and navigating the first year of college. There’s a lot going on, but it never feels like too much. These topics have been addressed in YA lit before, but Youngdahl does so in a way that feels fresh and contemporary. Graceville, Colorado felt like a real town, and Scarlett’s mixed feelings about leaving (and returning) were very relatable and will ring true to any teen for whom college is a turning point from one stage of life to the next. Scarlett is a smart girl who makes some stupid decisions and has to face the consequences. She does so in a way that is thoughtful and realistic with the help of her roommate Mina, who is Scarlett’s much-needed voice of reason and a great character in her own right. Highly recommended for teens who enjoy a thoughtful, character-driven novel that shows there are few easy answers in life. ( )

4.25 ( )