Review: Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

It’s been two years since Noelle disappeared. Two years since her bike was discovered, sprawled on a sidewalk. Two years of silence, of worry, of fear.

For those two long years, her best friend Tessa has waited, living her own life in a state of suspended animation. Because how can she allow herself to enjoy a normal high school life if Noelle can’t? How dare she have other friends, go to dances, date boys, without knowing what happened to the girl she thought she would share everything with?

And then one day, someone calls Noelle’s house. She’s alive.

A haunting psychological thriller taken straight from the headlines, The Tension of Opposites is a striking debut that explores the emotional aftermath of a kidnapping on the victim, and on the people she left behind.

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Released: May 25, 2010

My Rating: 4.5 / 5

I was nervous to start this book... with the disturbing premise, I thought it might be a dark read. The story however only touches on what happened when Noelle was kidnapped, enough to give the reader an explanation, but the core of the story is really about the aftermath and two friends attempt at a normal teenage life.Having had their friendship (and lives) ripped raw, we get to witness the healing process.

Told from the perspective of Noelle's BFF, Tessa, we see how there is more then one victim. The character development in the book, for both Noelle & Tessa, was stunning. Tessa sticks by her friend through thick and thin, not judging, not pushing, but really being the truest friend one could ever hope to have in their life; Noelle missed part of her childhood, the innocence and having to figure out how to respect herself and just be a kid again. The addition of Max provides a balance, some grounding and shows us not all guys are 'bad', while Chip...well there's always one in the crowd (I'll leave it at that).

The title of this book comes from a photography class project Tessa and Max must complete. The idea of using pictures, having Tessa hesitant to share her pictures (and thus open herself up) was brilliant and seeing this come full circle in the end was pure love. Yes, tears were shed! Tension of Opposites is a brilliant debut novel by Kristina McBride, I can't wait to see what she puts out next!

on a side note: While I usually just skip reading chapter titles (gasp...I know, I feel bad as I'm sure tons of time is spent figuring these out!) I must add that each one in Tension of the Opposites was eye catching & perfect!