I’ve heard about Katy Loutzenhiser’s book “If You’re Out There” several times through a review on BookTube. I’ve heard about it other book reviews pages. Well… I was moderately interested, because there are a lot of such youngsters. But when I got a proposal to review this position, something started pulling me to it. This novel is less than three hundred pages long, so I thought to myself: why not?

“If You’re Out There” is a literary debut, and that spoke even more in her favour. Yes, there is a certain risk involved in reaching for such books, but every author started somehow. Besides, it’s not known from today that I like to support debutants. You never know if you will come across one of the gems of literature.

The plot of the book

We meet our main character, Aleksandra (Zan) Martini, when she tries to come to terms with the move of her best friend, Prii Patel. The girls promised themselves that they would be in constant contact with each other and that they would see each other for Christmas. The problem is… Priya stops talking to Zan while her social media is flooded with photos from sunny California and her life motto.

A new student, Logan, appears in Zan’s high school. A thread of understanding immediately emerges between the two of them. Zan feels that only he can take her suspicions about Pria seriously. Everyone around her tells her to try to move on. The girl feels she needs to find her friend and talk to her face-to-face. Maybe Priya doesn’t answer Zan because she doesn’t want to, but she can’t?

– This guy’s a regular part of the neighborhood?! – Logan’s calling.
– Neonek? Oh, yeah. He stands here at least twice a week. Even in the snow! – For a reason I don’t know, I’m having a great time. I’m going to ride my own bike around the boy, feeling the wind on his face.
Even if he thinks I’m gonna get us both killed.
We turn around again and pass the small theatre where Arturo plays his plays.
– Please tell me it’s not far.
– It’s not far, I say. And for those words, I stop the bike.
– You’re crazy. Logan nozzles.

At first, I had a little bit of a hard time biting into this story. Maybe because I had a book mini-cacaca after the previous reading. But who’s got time for a book hangover? The further into the forest, the more I was worried about the story on the pages of this book. Everyone sure would like to have a friend as devoted as Zan. Everyone around her tells her to let go, because friendships sometimes just end. But Zan does not want to let go and follows his intuition.

Another bright spot in this book is Logan. A boy like that is a treasure. He’s always there for Zan, he listens to her and helps in this seemingly crazy investigation into Pria. Personally, I wish I had someone like that with me, and I think many women would. In addition, the author presented his relationship with Zan in such a natural and sweet way that it could even dissolve. The conversations they have with each other are intelligent and extremely funny.

“It’s warm outside and there are strands of violet and gold in the sky. I can’t believe how excited I am.
I snap my fingers.
– You know what? He’s studying math. Pryia told me he belongs to a cappella group that only math students are members of. They’re called AlgoRhythms.”

Summary

“If You’re Out There” is the story of the struggle for a beautiful friendship. It wasn’t difficult for me to imagine how Zan feels, because I lost a friend too and I know how it hurts and how hard it is to accept reject. I think Katy Loutzenhiser wants to tell her readers that sometimes it is worth fighting for friendship or any other kind of relationship. Especially if she feels that she is special.

Even though high school is over, I had fun while reading. Especially since we get a little puzzle on the way and I have a train for this type of threads. I highly recommend it!

Where to buy a book?

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