No More Us for You, David Hernandez

Hernandez, David (2009).
No More Us For You
New York: HarperTeen
978-0061173332
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Isabel and Carlos, both seventeen, find themselves growing closer after an unexpected accident forces them to confront both the harshness and the beauty of life.
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Carlos works as a security guard at the Long Beach Museum; he has just found out that his girlfriend, whom his parents adore, is cheating on him. Isabel, whose boyfriend died a year ago in a car accident, walks through life in a cloudy haze as she contemplates hers and everyone else’s mortality. The two narrate the novel in alternating chapters; the narrations converge when they meet through mutual friend, Vanessa-the new girl at school-who also works at the museum and tries to set the two up on a date. Hernandez includes the bizarre, mundane, and tragic of a teens’ life: Carlos’ best friend gets his girl pregnant, his other close friend, Snake, is at risk of suspension and Carlos is saving his money up for clothes, etc. while Isabel tries to decide if her butt is too big and whether she is ready to go partying on the weekends. The two double date with Vanessa and Snake to the school dance. While Carlos and Isabel decide to go into the dance, Snake and Vanessa claim that they will be in shortly so they can finish up their drinks. When Carlos and Isabel return to the parking lot, they realize the car is gone. The next day, amid all the high sschool gossip, Carlos and Isabel learn that Vanessa and Snake have been in a tragic car accident; Vanessa is dead and Snake is in a coma.

Hernandez presents a realistic portrayal of two teens attempting to deal with their grief and still longing for a mutual connection. Both suffer guilt and despair and readers will be drawn into their hearts. Hernandez uses the museum as a vehicle to bring hope and love back into the teens’ hearts and lives together.