This books was a bit of a hard read. I kept hoping that Alex would succeed, but I knew he wouldn't. I loved how open he became as the story continued. And Isaiah was adorable. I'm also glad that Alex didn't bow to white women tears.

I hope Morris writes more in this universe in the future. It has really solid world building. ( )

what if you had the ability to see the future by just touching an object or holding a person's hand? Would you want that power? This is what Alex Rufus has to deal with on a daily basis. His world is rocked when he foresees his brother Isaiah's death and the impending breakup with his girlfriend. He has to learn to navigate the world, not touching anyone while at the same time trying to figure out how to make his last few days with his brother the best ever. Then he discovers Isaiah's secret power and together the brothers need to find a way to break the 500 year old curse. This was a very different way to showcase anxiety and fear. Alex's anxiety flows a LOT throughout the story, any time Isaiah is not in his eyesight, he starts overthinking, believing that at THAT moment Isaiah was going to die. That felt like it was overstressed a lot in the story. Lesson to be learned, it's best NOT to know your future, just let it happen as it does. ( )

Three and a half stars. I have read another book with one character suddenly able t see the future, while another character was able to see others' pasts. The author of that novel executed the idea poorly, and I went on three separate tirades in my review. Here, it was wonderful! How refreshing! I have read another book where someone could see death. Rather, she saw the dates people died on their foreheads. Not everyone believed her. That's the case here, too. However: the reason, stakes and style are much more interesting and feel more intimate. Within the first five pages, I was engrossed. Morris writes teens and varying POVs well, and it's a wonderful reading experience. I felt like I was reading a teenager's diary. I was not the intended audience for this book, I think. I still felt all the ups and downs right with Alex.

Reasons I knocked off a star and a half:
1. The anxiety took up a lot of pages. I get it. I have it, and C-PTSD. The anxiety whirled out of control, yet Alex didn't mention anxiety attacks that likely would have accompanied such spirals. Cut the pages dedicated to the thoughts in half and replace them with anxiety attacks occasionally. It was overkill with no real payoff. I was still so glad to see someone like me on the page, and have it named.

2. Concerts aren't interesting to me IRL, so having pages upon pages dedicated to them and song lyrics make me skim pages. Here, a huge spoiler happened at a concert and I flipped back a few pages for context.

3. Stories within stories can be annoying even when written by a talented author. She was celebrating her heritage, and there's a lot of value in that. She was writing important moments between siblings who tragically lost their parents. I was glad she put such in often.

4. Several Spanish phrases weren't translated and it was--not jarring. Wobbling? My focus wobbled, I guess. I felt like I was missing something every time it happened. This is a minor thing, though.

5. Alex touches his cell phone and doesn't see years into the future. That felt...eh...to me considering the worldbuilding.

I'm glad this is being so widely read. I congratulate the author on her success and hope it continues. ( )

between 2.5 and 3 stars. there are holes in this book (some large, some small) but there's also a lot here that i really like. first of all her writing is good. she also manages to make the fantasy element really matter, which i appreciate. (normally i prefer there not to be supernatural or fantasy parts, but in this case it's woven in to the story really well, and it is crucial to her overall point and meaning. it's not there just to be there, and if it was removed, the story wouldn't make sense. even though it's fantasy-lite and even though some of the holes in the story are because of these elements, they are still really important. and i appreciate that if they are there, that they matter in this way.)

what i really liked in the book was her relationships. the restored brotherhood between alex and isaiah, even though it resolved unrealistically quickly, was beautiful to see. between aunt mackey and the boys, between alex and talia, the friendship between alex and sean. even the brief connection made between the rappers and isaiah during the concert. but also and especially between the brothers and the past and all of their ancestors. how powerful to carry that forward with you in life, to see that history and the pain that brought you this place. these parts that are beautiful are really, really beautiful. and so meaningful.

the holes and unnecessary extras (like the mass shooting. there was literally no reason for that. they could have been running home just because they were high energy after the concert. a hole like how talia never brought up the power or that alex knew about sean again; he never told her it went away. mistakes like at the graveyard when he's sitting for hours and the mourners are all still there but aunt mackey has already left? that no one is acting like isaiah died from the moment he did. and plenty more) keep this from being rated higher. but it was enjoyable and the parts that mattered were done really well. the deep meaning here carries this book and carries it well. ( )

RGG: Just a mess. The premise of being able to see the future by toughing an object and being able to speak to the dead provides an interesting metaphor. But the presentation is tedious with lots of telling. Targeted to 7th Graders, but a couple of instances of explicit language about sex and usage of swear words make this for more mature readers. Reading Interest: 14-YA.