teen fiction (romance/adventure). Page turner, but you gotta read the first one first. I especially like Riddle's character. ( )

The sequel to I'll Be There, a truly excellent book. This follow-up is not as good but still a solid read. There are pieces that are heartwrenching but, as a whole, the arc feels a bit too constructed. ( )

There’s a tag line on the cover that says, “Sometimes your enemy is your only hope.” That’s a bit of an exaggeration for this story. Nevertheless, it’s a realistic fiction novel about a girl who is trying to help two brothers whose father wants to kill them.

Emily is in love with Sam and he loves her as well. Emily’s family plans on adopting Sam’s younger brother Riddle and become Sam’s legal guardian after getting them away from their abusive father who tried to kill them. Destiny comes to town, who is also a teenager without a home or parents. She’s tiny and pretty, which makes Emily a little jealous and worries about her relationship with Sam. Robb (Bobby) has known Emily for years, and she chose not to date him. These four become an unlikely group, but they have to work together to save all of them from Sam and Riddle’s dad when he escapes from prison.

Emily’s family almost seems too good to be true; in fact, we only have references to them. There are actually no other characters in the book. It focuses on these four characters. There’s a lot the reader has to accept, as the characters are stock characters with little depth. The best part of the novel is the idea that we can each do what we need to do when called upon to act. ( )