4 stars. (Sorry, my brain's not good with words today. Maybe later. Looking forward to reading the author's upcoming TAKE ME WITH YOU.)

All Kaylee's life strange things have happened that have been shaken off as nothing but mere coincidences. Now at seventeen, Kaylee is about to learn that she is not only adopted but that her real mother Crystal is currently up for parole as she was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her baby son. Kaylee was four when this happened, and it turns out that she testified against her mother and was one of the key witnesses. Enter Liane; she is making a podcast about Crystal's life as she was a teenage also when Crystal first became famous for her psychic abilities and TK. Has Kaylee inherited the gifts from her mother? As the podcast is released though, Kaylee is about to discover that the people she thought were her friends are about to turn on her as lies and stories from her past unravel to fit the "psychic box." Can Kaylee prove that she is nothing like her mother or has she truly inherited her mother's so-called gift? I have to admit the ending of this book annoyed me a little as I was hoping to read more of what Crystal's theory of what happened to the baby and more of the storyline involving Kaylee of what happened before Crystal's arrest. Overall, if you are looking for a book that will open your mind to the possibility of mind control and powers, then check out Tara Altebrando's "The Possible" today.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book, as I couldn't get into it - nothing against the author or book, just not to my personal taste. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

The Possible had an intriguing premise, but failed dismally to deliver. The execution was horrible and the only reason I managed to finish was because the book was short and by skimming ¾ of the book, I managed to finish it in a couple of hours.

The Possible begins with Kaylee getting visited by a reporter, who wants to interview her for a podcast about her biological mum. Her biological mum, who is currently in prison for the murder of Kaylee’s brother, was once ‘famous’ for supposedly possessing telekinetic powers. The storyline essentially revolves around Kaylee investigating whether her mother’s claims of telekinetic powers are true, and simultaneously discovering whether she herself has these supernatural powers.

I’m assuming that the author intended for readers to spend the entire journey guessing whether Kaylee has powers, but I chalked up every single strange incident to coincidence – Altebrando’s storytelling wasn’t convincing enough for me to wonder whether Kaylee had supernatural powers. Her writing was too simple with a lot of “telling” rather than “showing”, and there were too many line breaks that ruined the flow of the story. Kaylee would be in a conversation with her parents, the conversation would quickly and conveniently wrap up, then the story would jump to another scene a few days later. There was no smooth transition between scenes which made it feel like the story was all over the place.

Speaking of Kaylee, it was impossible to like her. She was so self-centred and immature, I honestly would not want to be friends with her in real life. Instead of finding another date or going with friends to prom, she was under the illusion that her unattainable crush would somehow miraculously dump his current girlfriend, who she so kindly nicknamed “Princess Bubblegum”, before prom and would then somehow miraculously notice her and take her to prom even though they’ve never spoken to each other before. I’m usually fine with characters fantasising about their crush, but when they say stuff like “Yeah, he’ll dump her before prom and then take me” and purposely orchestrate a plan to break them up, then we have a problem.

I believe this story had potential, especially since telekinesis is such an interesting topic. If only the writing was stronger and the characters were more level-headed, memorable and less like… cardboard cut-outs, I would have liked the book a lot more. The pacing could have been slower too, since it read like the author rushed to finish writing the book. All in all, this wasn’t my cup of tea.

Kaylee is a cleverly constructed unreliable narrator. At times, readers are sympathetic, flared up in anger at the injustices done to her, and other times, they are startled with questions and uncertainty. Altebrando juggles these contrasting perceptions with confidence and ease, while readers swing violently between urging Kaylee on in solving her quest, and pulling back from her aggressive and manipulative decisions.

Some people like being twisted like this. I am not sure I do. But I do advise to stay away from spoilers with this one. Just as with We Were Liars, and Everything, Everything, it’s best to form your own opinions. When you are one of those who can predict correctly, there’s something electric about discovering it on your own. Being able to sort through the facts, the red herrings, and the assumptions are all essential elements to a satisfying reading experience.

Kaylee is 17, a quality softball pitcher, a good friend, and an adopted daughter whose mother is imprisoned, found guilty of the death of Kaylee’s younger brother. She keeps a lot of her past a secret from her peers, but when a journalist tracks her down to be part of a podcast investigating claims of her mother’s psychic abilities, Kaylee has her own reasons for saying yes. Her parents don’t agree, and Kaylee’s choices about defying them and refusing to listen to her friends are not always wise or careful. There’s a recklessness to her, a fearlessness which we admire, but also makes us nervous. How far can she push her luck?

Is it even luck?

Initially the story reads much like a traditional YA novel – Kaylee crushes on a boy who goes out with the Queen Bee, she jokes and messes around with bffs Chiara and Aidan, she collects snow globes and works hard to balance softball practice, school work, and her social life. But as the story about Crystal’s past starts to dominate and the podcast brings up memories, the tone increases in creep factor, and there’s more ambiguity about all the characters’ intents and motivation. Who can we trust? Who does Kaylee trust? Who do we believe? Kaylee’s own perceptions are called into question, and readers will either engage completely with the author’s attempts to draw them in, or feel distrustful and manipulated. I fell somewhere between the two—the more I knew of Kaylee, the more I liked her. Sometimes she is judgmental and mean, but she’s also brave and resilient, and really wants to reconcile her past. In this way, it is a coming-of-age story, a girl searching for her identity.

But also, creepy!

There’s a lot of information about paranormal activity, there’s also a lot of ‘what ifs’. Readers will find it hard to stop reading once Kaylee starts her investigation, and I will be interested to see what people decide about the resolution.

Advanced copy provided by publisher via Netgalley and read with thanks. Book is out in the UK and Australia on June 1st and June 6th in the US.

Recommended for readers who like their stories edgy and twisty. There is a romance that develops and the love interest is genuine and worthy. Altebrando is inclusive and her characters are diverse and authentic. There is a strong blend of emotion and mystery, but it is very plot driven. The ending may shock but it is ambiguous and invites readers to draw their own conclusions. While I appreciate its cleverness, I am weary and wary of manipulation.

I loved Altebrando's previous title <i>The Leaving</i> so I was incredibly excited to read her newest book <i>The Possible</i>. I raced through this book in less than 24 hours, devouring it in large chunks on my breaks in work and on the bus home. While I didn't find the characters quite as compelling as I'd expected, Altebrando still delivers a tense and thrilling read that has the reader questioning till the very end.

The Possible by Tara Altebrando.
What if ... no one knows the truth about you?

It's been thirteen years since Kaylee's infamous birth mother, Crystal, received a life sentence for killing Kaylee's little brother in a fit of rage. Once the centre of a cult-following for her apparent telekinetic powers, nowadays nobody's heard of Crystal.
This was a good read with good characters. Little slow. 4*. Netgalley and Bloomsbury publishing plc.

I really enjoyed this book but in my personal opinion I felt a little let down by the ending slightly. This was still a truly well written book though and I would recommend it to others

After reading and loving Countless by Karen Gregory I checked out other forthcoming titles being published by Bloomsbury and found this one.

The cover shows a girl stood alone looking out to sea. The byline featured says "Some Storms Rage From Within" and in the book the main character Kaylee certainly has some issues that she has buried quite deeply, as a safety mechanism and when she is faced with those issues being brought into the limelight her reaction is to get angry and act out, which is why I would add that parts of the story would fit into the "coming of age" and "teen angst" genres too. The genres listed for this one on Netgalley/Goodreads are YA, Mystery & Thriller, which I definitely agree with also.

This book begins with us meeting the main character Kaylee Bryar, who is living a normal kind of teenage life, goes to school and does ok with her grades. Kaylee has two close friends a girl called Chiara, and a boy called Aiden. Of course as a teen girl Kaylee has a crush too. The guy she is crushing on, Bennett Laurie is dating a girl called Aubrey Hazleton who is so perfect Kaylee has nicknamed her "Princess Bubblegum". at a baseball game wishing for the opposing team member, Evelyn who is batting to be unable to hit the next ball that she throws, and strangely it happens! Kaylee actually wonders if she some how telepathically made the opposing team member miss the ball! Thinking it a possibility when she see's Princess Bubblegum with Bennett she "wishes" Princess Bubblegum to fall flat on her face...and it happens!? Coincidence right? Or some type of telekinesis perhaps?
Kaylee begins to wonder about such supernatural things even more when she is contacted by Liana Fatone, a reporter that makes sometimes controversial podcasts. Liana has somehow found Kaylee who was adopted and had her name changed at age four by Christine and Robert Novell. Apparently Liana wants to talk to Kaylee about supernatural powers and her birth mother Crystal. When Crystal was a teen there was a fairly large news item about Crystal having some sort of strange powers, or was surrounded by poltergeist activity that she could move items around a room without touching them etc. There was even a photograph that actually depicted a telephone moving around Crystal.
Rightly so, both of Kaylee's adoptive parents are wary of anyone wanting to talk to Kaylee about anything concerning or connected to her mother Crystal. As Crystal is serving a life sentence in prison for killing her youngest child, a boy called Jack. Kaylee remembers her mother and was in fact instrumental in her mother being given a life sentence. It was evidence, and the fact Kaylee testified in court at the age of four that finally made Crystal accept a plea deal of life imprisonment.
So because of a combination of wanting to know more about Crystal, being curious as to whether she may have some telekinesis powers, and general acting out being a teenager, Kaylee decides not only will she meet Liana, she will help with the podcast and even more disturbing to her adoptive parents, she wants to meet Crystal. So Kaylee does a bit of sneaking around, though when she truly needs her parents they still end up finding out and being there for her.

I found myself having mixed feelings about the characters in this book, there weren't always clear lines to separate the good and bad. Crystal hadn't had a great life herself, from all the attention of small press about her special powers, then outed as a fraud by a larger press she was abandoned. Crystal went on to meet Kaylee's birth father to get pregnant at 21 with Kaylee, then at aged 23 met Jack's father and once again found herself pregnant. Jack is the child that just a few years later is killed due to a blunt force trauma. Crystal had initially pleaded her innocence, yet when Kaylee gave evidence and it seemed that she would face the death penalty, Crystal had chose the plea deal. So did she actually commit the crime? I guess some would say she was a victim of circumstances, where others would say if her life was so bad and unhappy it should have made her strive to give her children a better start than herself.
To begin with I thought Liana was being honest with Kaylee but it turns out she is not adverse to using Kaylee or Crystal to capture the right information for her next big story. I also think that Liana was rather underhand as it becomes clear that she wanted a story about the reasons Crystal was sentenced to life imprisonment.

My thoughts upon finishing the book were Wow, different, really different. . .had an inkling about some sort of vague connection or history connecting the birth mom and adoptive parents? And what a twist at the end, maybe Kaylee had just been trying to bend the wrong cutlery? It all comes down to the individual and what you allow yourself to believe....or not.