Release: February 23rd, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Delacorte
Source: Amazon
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo.
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“A book about a time-traveling app? I’m in! Jen Calonita strikes again with a coming-of-age middle grade full of wit and a little bit of magic. “ —Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After and Upside Down Magic series.
Zoe knows that the only thing harder than middle school is losing a best friend. She and Laura used to do everything together, from taking silly selfies to joining all the same clubs together and even throwing surprise birthday parties for one another.
But lately, things have been weird between them. Now Laura will post a photo of her hanging out with other girls before responding to Zoe’s simple text. She doesn’t even want to sit with her at lunch anymore. Zoe is heartbroken—all she wants is for things to go back to normal.
But then a magical app downloads on her phone…and things get even weirder! Suddenly Zoe can travel back in time to moments where she and Laura started drifting apart. It is like a dream come true—a chance for Zoe to mend their friendship.
But as Zoe goes back to moments of middle school drama—sleepover games went wrong, field trips with cliques and crushes, and school projects that bring on more-than-awkward encounters—she realizes that second chances don’t always go as planned and that sometimes you need to trust the magic of new beginnings.
About the Author:
Jen Calonita has always loved writing. Her first published piece was in the sixth-grade newspaper, where she wrote about an attacking snake who bothered her canoe on a class field trip. These days she writes about fairy tale worlds, Hollywood lives, and music.
A big fan of Cinderella as a child, Jen always wondered what would happen if the Wicked Stepmother apologized to Cinderella for her behavior and tried to prove she was now a good fairy tale citizen. Jen figured the Wicked Stepmother might convince other villains to behave, and together they would teach children on the path to wickedness how to be good at…Fairy Tale Reform School. The series, which includes many classic fairy tale characters, has its own stories to be told, starting with Misfits.
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The Retake Review:
What if you could go back in the past and change things to alter the future? “The Retake” is an adorable middle-grade novel involving time travel, and I enjoyed it.
Sometimes, it is hard to move on in life when your best friend ghosts you and finds new friends. Zoe’s storyline interested me because I wanted to see how she would handle her friendship with Laura. I thought the author wrote their dynamic in a realistic and fun manner. But the story gets very entertaining when Zoe starts using the app that lets her travel back in time to the photo she was looking at on her phone. The author wrote this concept in such a delightful manner, and I loved how she executed it!
Zoe was lovely in the lead as she tries to keep fixing her friendship with Laura. You wonder what will happen to her as she starts time traveling and trying to fix the future. The author beautifully conveys that even though the situations might change, the person remains the same, and if it’s meant to happen, it will. Moreover, I thought Zoe’s reactions to the alternate realities that she witnesses were hilarious. I also enjoyed some of the supporting characters like Taryn and Clare. The author also beautifully conveyed the value of friendship.
Overall, “The Retake” is an adorable novel that encourages you to move on and live your life and not be boggled by others who do not value your friendship.
