From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up—Stealing cars for joyrides became Matt's life after his revered older brother taught him how. Now, after a major accident, the teen, haunted by vivid, farcical images of his dead brother, attempts to ignore the realities of life and baits his parole officer/psychologist. Joyce takes Matthew skillfully—if not particularly uniquely—along this genre's familiar path of healing through friendships in a rehab/therapy setting, with a surprise at the psychological-breakthrough ending. With strong supporting characters, a sympathetic and occasionally funny protagonist, fantastical nightmare sequences, and car theft, this could be given to fans of Chris Crutcher, David Klass, Pete Hautman and the like, but is only recommended for libraries already well stocked with these authors, as Joyce's writing comes up somewhat short on both believability and panache in comparison.—
Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Matt is a Twocer: he takes cars without their owner's consent. He learned this dubious skill from his older brother, Jake, a master of all things automotive. But now Jake is dead, and Matt is haunted by his ghost. Why? Did Matt kill his older brother as a result of some ill-advised stunt driving? He can't remember. It's clear, though, that he has been deeply traumatized by the accident. To help him get a grip, his counselor sends him off to the country--along with two other troubled youth--for a weekend of activity-based therapy, which will have dramatic consequences. An established author of adult books and the winner of four British Fantasy Awards, Joyce turns in a skillfully constructed and swiftly paced YA novel of psychological suspense that offers readers both a full complement of white-knuckle moments and a believably satisfying conclusion.
Michael CartCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
