Sync

by Ellen Hopkins

Genres: Young Adult; YA Family

Synopsis

From #1 NYT bestselling author Ellen Hopkins comes a new heartbreaking young adult novel in verse about twins separated in the foster care system and the different paths their lives take.

Seventeen-year-old twins Storm and Lake have always been in perfect sync. They faced the worst a parent could do and survived it together. In the wake of their mother’s rejection, they’ve spent the last five years moving from foster home to foster home—sometimes placed together, sometimes apart.

After being separated from his sister once again, Storm is devastated. He’s the older brother and promised to always take care of Lake. But after a stint in juvie, his newest placement has him feeling almost hopeful. His foster dad is kind, and his girlfriend, Jaidyn, is the first person other than Lake he feels he can trust. But when Jaidyn is sexually assaulted by a violent ex, it pushes Storm over the edge. He retaliates and lands back in lockup—and he fears this time it will be for good. He wishes he could talk to Lake, but he doesn’t know where she is, and he' s now feeling more alone and out of sync than ever before.

Lake, like Storm, has found her own happiness in a relationship with someone new—her fellow foster, Parker. Life with Parker is never boring, but Parker has her own scars. She can be withdrawn and unpredictable, and that can be dangerous, especially after Parker convinces Lake to run away from their Bible-thumping fosters after they are caught in a compromising position. With no money, shelter, or ID, they’re living on the streets. Lake thinks of Storm and his promise to take care of her, and wonders where he could be now.

Told in dual perspectives through unsent letters, at turns heartbreaking and always honest, this latest novel in verse from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins is a searing and unforgettable account of two teens caught in the teeth of the foster care system, fighting their way out and back to each other.

Release date: August 27, 2024

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Print pages: 448

Sample

STORM
Are You Safe Tonight, Lake?

It’s my job to keep you that way.
I decided that when we were three.
I remember it like it was yesterday,
now almost fourteen years ago.

We were locked in the closet.
Shivering with fear. Every time we heard
Beverly’s footsteps outside the door
we’d shrink against the wall.

You got so scared you started
to hiccup. I put my arm around
your shoulder. “I’ll protect you,” I said.
“It’s my job. I’m your big brother.”

You whispered we were twins.
That made us the same age.
“No,” I argued. “I came out
first. That makes me older.”

Sometimes memories like that float
from the depths of my brain,
ascend like buoys before
submerging and sinking again.

It’s our birthday eve. We turn
seventeen tomorrow. So of course
you’re on my mind. It’s the last day
of August. Senior year just started.

I have no clue where you are,
or how long you’ve been there.
New foster placement? Longtime?
My gut tells me you’re not too far away.

I hear from you when our caseworkers
manage to intersect paths, pass on
letters or cards. But I haven’t 
seen you in five long years.

Well, unless you count that one time
Mom decided we should reunite.
That experiment lasted three weeks. 
Honestly, longer than expected.

It was enough time for you
and me to forge our sync again.
Remember how we called it that—­
the way our thoughts seemed synchronized?

I wonder which high school you go to.
Do you think, over the years,
we were ever at the same football
game, rooting for opposite teams?

Are you still acing your classes?
Despite all the crap in our childhood, 
you vowed to succeed in school,
find a way to live your dreams. 

I’m afraid dreaming is a fool’s game 
I quit, cold turkey, years ago.
Gambling on dreams successfully
requires belief in tomorrow.

I can 
barely 
hold on 
to today.