Relative Strangers

Reviews:

Garner (Phantom Limbs) weaves a complex story, with Jules gaining her foster family back only to risk losing them again: her former foster mother is dying of cancer. Garner sensitively explores the tensions that can arise between close friends, but she allows questions of what makes a family to remain the heart of Jules’s story. ~Publishers Weekly

Jules’ hard-won insights into what families can give us and what we must find and create on our own make for a moving read. ~Kirkus Reviews

This is a fast-paced, captivating novel from beginning to end. Readers won’t be able to put this book down. A must-have for YA shelves. ~School Library Journal

From the perspective of eighteen-year-old Jules, Garner offers readers a realistic fiction title with well-developed characters that will engage readers. The longing for a loving family, the feeling of betrayal, and the search for wholeness will be relatable feelings for many young adult readers...Relative Strangers ends on a hopeful note, and this title should be available in both public and school libraries for pleasure reading. ~VOYA

Garner’s (Phantom Limbs, 2016) novel clearly illustrates the way one’s world can turn inside out in a heartbeat, cautioning readers to be careful what they wish for. Changing friendships, the need for validation, and the desire to be whole will strike a chord with readers who feel a part of their lives is missing. ~Booklist Online