Infinite in Between is actually five different stories in one. You see how five different characters struggle through high school, figuring out who they want to be along the way.

Everyone’s a stranger when you walk into your freshman year of high school. Even if you were lucky enough to go to grade school with your classmates, the changes and dramatic differences between middle school and high school can make even the friendliest of faces seem strange. In Infinite in Between, five characters stuck together in a freshman orientation group write notes to their future selves, and hide them in a secret location in the school. They vow to regroup at graduation and read those letters, noting how different their lives will undoubtedly be by then.

Zoe is the daughter of a movie star, Sierra Laybourne, and has been banished to Hankinson, New York while her mother dries out in rehab. She is just trying to get through her time there until the magical world of celebrity and California stop appearing as glamourous as they once seemed.

Whitney Montaine doesn’t want for much. Her friends follow her lead, her social life surrounds her with potential boyfriends, and her family is pretty typical. High school starts out as another step in her life until things start unraveling around her. First at home, then her friends, and, finally, when the guys she used to fawn over don’t seem as enticing anymore. It’s gonna take something pretty substantial to prove to her that high school is at all glamorous, and she might have to fall pretty far to find it.

Gregor is a quiet kid that just wants to play his cello and romance the lovely Whitney. Seeing her in his orientation group awoke the need to try and woo her, and since that day, she takes up quite a bit of his brain space. He sits back and waits for a chance to be different than all the other guys. Gregor might not be as proactive as other people, but he also knows to answer when opportunity rattles the doorknob.

Jake just wants to be invisible for a little while, if only he could live his normal life at the same time. Thanks to the events of 8th grade, the worst kept secret at Hankinson High is that Jake is gay. Not that anyone cares, or will go out of their way to make his life hell, but he just doesn’t want to be a topic of conversation. His 8th grade revelations drove away his best friend and first love. Ted might not be gay, but that doesn’t change how Jake feels.

Mia’s a different duck, and she knows it. She doesn’t care much for her parents’ blonde ways, so she lives her own. She dyes her hair and dresses as she wants. She watches as the others from her orientation group flit in and out of troublesome spots. Her high school journey is decidedly less tragic than some of the others, but no less transformative.

‘Infinite in Between’ book review:

This novel has a structure and way of telling its story that is quite different than any story you’ve found on the shelves so far. Carolyn Mackler has created a new way to tell the story of high school. Rather than following one or two characters and seeing everything through their eyes, we have been treated to five different points of view. The unexpected and constantly shifting points of view are a daunting task to keep straight at the start of the book, but as each chapter progresses, it becomes more and more clear that the four year journey is what is most important here, not seeing each and every plot thread to completion.

The grand journey here is a great one. Some characters struggle with their popularity, some have family matters to overcome, and even more have tragedies of one type or another sweep their feet out from under them. Watching as each of these characters fights to find their equilibrium in the topsy turvy world of high school will remind any older reader of the trials and tribulations they themselves faced. And for those that are just beginning their high school journey, its always comforting to read about characters whose story is just as tough, or maybe tougher, than their own.

If you’re in the market for a new book, a truly new type of story that doesn’t follow conventional style or limitations, then I highly recommend you check out Infinite in Between. There’s a lot to love and a lot to learn from Carolyn Mackler’s characters, and you’ll fly through the more than 400 page tome faster than you would have ever thought possibled.

Infinite in Between by Carolyn Mackler is on available now. You can purchase it on Amazon or Indiebound, and add it to your Goodreads list.