Tally's twin brother Max has been depressed ever since he was in a bad car accident. Even though their family isn't particularly religious, there's a trip to Israel over Winter Break, and she thinks if they go, it will be a distraction and help him snap out of his funk. Plus maybe they'll learn more about Judaism and get to travel internationally--great bonuses.

And so they are going. Right off the bat Max is still being a drag, but Tally is making friends. The teens on this trip are super diverse, racially, ethnically, and with sexual orientation and gender identification. Tally meets an aspiring fashionista and other kids who try to help her stop obsessing about Max and college so much. After all, they're in Israel, seeing sights, meeting college kids and Israeli young adults (who are leaders and educators on the trip--also super diverse), and having a good time. But she can't help but worry. And one day she spirals, and a secret comes out that shows Max isn't the only one struggling.

The travel through Israel part was fun and fascinating for this international traveled to read about. The tone was nice in that it starts out light and only gets dark for a bit, towards the end. You expect, given the location, that there will be some depressive moments remembering the Holocaust, which does happen, but finding out the truth behind the accident and why Tally's friend no longer communicates, also was emotional. But it's handled really well, and by then you're totally invested in Tally and Max, and also by then Tally has built up some real relationships with kids on the trip and has a decent support system to help her through. This is a well-told YA novel about loss and grief and family and history.

This book is published by Bloomsbury, which is distributed by Macmillan, my employer.

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