Light of Day

September 1, 2015
An outspoken young radio host teams up with a brave-but-secretive stranger to solve a missing-girl mystery. Senior Gabby Perez is no naive wallflower, but when a seedy club-goer sneaks roofies in her best friend's drink, it takes a hot, blue-eyed, square-jawed stranger to warn her to get away. A young Miami radio personality, Gabby uses her weekly show, Light Up the Night, to discuss what (almost) happened and thank the handsome stranger who came to the rescue. The following week, the mystery guy, who goes by "X," waits for her at the radio station and cautions her that she's getting involved in a dangerous sex-trafficking situation. Gabby suspects X is an undercover cop, and the two attempt to get the scumbag off the streets. As Gabby and X's chemistry becomes undeniable, she must deal with uncomfortable truths about his past and a kidnapping case involving a friend. Meanwhile, at home, Gabby struggles with rigid parents who seem to care more about why she broke up with her perfect ex than her talent as a DJ. Van Diepen returns to her On the Edge (2014) world-the tough streets of Miami-for another exciting story that delivers with a central relationship full of twists and surprising depth. Readers who like their romance on the gritty side will fall for van Diepen's steamy thriller. (Thriller. 14-18)

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November 1, 2015
Grades 10-1 First impressions rarely tell the whole story. Gabby Perez is a radio DJ by night, and by day, she attempts to be the student and daughter her parents want her to be. When her friend is drugged at a nightclub, she is shaken but not nearly as unnerved as she is by the guy who gives her a warningthe mysterious X. As they work together to bring down the pimp who might be behind these attacks, she finds herself falling hard, even though he's the kind of guy she's always been warned to stay away from. The drama within this novel is uneven. The climactic scene is as high energy as any action movie, but within the rest of the story, the heart-pumping momentum is sometimes more jarring than exciting. The tangle of love and danger is reminiscent of Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry (2009). While this offers an interesting peek into a dangerous world of gangs and drugs, the suggestion of danger is often buried in more mundane plotlines.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
When spunky, independent Gabby Perez talks about date-rape drugs on her radio show, she discovers an underage prostitution ring in her Miami neighborhood. Then she meets "X"--the alluring leader of a vigilante gang that rescues prostitution victims. Gabby and X's romance is hasty, but fans of van Diepen's urban fiction (including companion On the Edge) will enjoy their steamy connection and fast-paced investigation.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)