Resurrecting Sunshine by Lisa A. Koosis

Summary: At seventeen, Adam Rhodes is famous, living on his own, and in a downward spiral since he lost the girl he loved. Marybeth – stage name Sunshine – was his best friend from the days they were foster kids; then she was his girlfriend and his band mate. But since her accidental death, he’s been drinking to deal with the memories. Until one day, an unexpected visitor, Dr. Elloran, presents Adam with a proposition that just might save him from himself. Using breakthrough cloning and memory-implantation techniques, Dr. Elloran and the scientists at Project Orpheus want to resurrect Marybeth, and they need Adam to “donate” intimate memories of his life with her. The memory retrieval process forces Adam to relive his life with Marybeth and the devastating path that brought them both to fame. Along the way, he must confront not only the circumstances of her death but also his growing relationship with the mysterious Genevieve, daughter of Project Orpheus’s founder. As the process sweeps Adam and Marybeth ever closer to reliving the tragedy that destroyed them, Adam must decide how far he’ll go to save her.

This stunner of a story has largely flown under the radar, which is inconceivable to me. With its ethics-stretching premise and compelling plot, this book is ideal for bookclubs and classroom discussions: it’s a page-turner that keeps you engaged from the start, it’s got an ending that readers are sure to have strong opinions about, and it’s even in paperback, making multiple copies affordable. Get on this, teachers and librarians! Adam is a flawed, emotional mess, his voice keeping the science stuff firmly grounded in the effect it has on real people’s lives, and he is at once admirable and pitiable in his quest to do right by those he loves. This book kept me up late several nights in a row because I *had* to find out what happened next. With its big questions about who deserves a second chance, who actually gets one, and what do with the chances we’re given, RESURRECTING SUNSHINE will engage your mind and heart in equal measure.

RESURRECTING SUNSHINE is out now.

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