Layoverland by Gabby Noone. 304 p. Razorbill/ Penguin Random House, January, 2020. 9781984836120. (Review of finished purchased copy.)
Teen Tuesday features Layoverland by Gabbie Noone. Our narrator in this superb debut is seventeen-year-old Bea, a snarky, prickly cynic who keeps everyone at arm's length and doesn't suffer fools lightly. She's ugly-crying in her car after a fight with her sister when she's hit head-on by another car. When she awakens, she's on a plane bound for...where now? She's wearing the unfortunate outfit she had on and her mascara is running but can't be wiped off. Turns out, Bea died instantly and is on board a plane headed for the afterlife. Only Bea has some unresolved issues and doesn't have a connecting flight to her final destination. She's stuck at the airport, has to sleep in an airport motel and all her food is encased in jello. She's been given a job and has to help thousands of souls find out what their unresolved issues are and help them move on before she herself can move on. To make matters worse, the dude who plowed into her is also stuck in Layoverland and it's Bea's job to help him move on. No way, Bea is determined to make him suffer. There's a problem though. He's very cute.
So, this is a coming-of-age story even though the protagonist is dead. Hilariously funny and yet surprisingly deep and poignant. I just loved the voice in this sparkling debut.
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