Book Review: The Chance You Won't Return by Annie Cardi

The Chance You Won't Return
Author: Annie Cardi
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: April 22nd 2014
Review Source: Candlewick Press | Netgalley

When your mom thinks she's Amelia Earhart, navigating high school, first love, and family secrets is like flying solo without a map.

Driver's ed and a first crush should be what Alex Winchester is stressed out about in high school - and she is. But what's really on her mind is her mother. Why is she dressing in Dad's baggy khaki pants with a silk scarf around her neck? What is she planning when she pores over maps in the middle of the night? When did she stop being Mom and start being Amelia Earhart? Alex tries to keep her budding love life apart from the growing disaster at home as her mother sinks further into her delusions. But there are those nights, when everyone else is asleep, when it's easier to confide in Amelia than it ever was to Mom. Now, as Amelia's flight plans become more intense, Alex is increasingly worried that Amelia is planning her final flight - the flight from which she never returns. What could possibly be driving Mom's delusions, and how far will they take her?s

Alex Winchester is a typical teenager trying to pass drivers ed and navigate a love life but although she tries to keep up this facade, it is her home life which is causing the most issues.

After a mental breakdown, Alex's mom is living a delusional life thinking she is Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to attempt to fly around the world.

Alex struggles to deal with a younger sister who's pretending nothing is wrong, a younger brother who can't really understand what is going on, and a father who is hanging on by his fingertips.

This drama was beautiful in that it was very grounded. We follow Alex as she tries to keep her mom's illness a secret by keeping the different people in her life in separate bubbles to avoid any crossovers.

You really empathize with Alex for it's easier to play along with the fantasy that her mom is Amelia Earhart but in doing so, is she aiding her mom is losing her true identity and forcing her to the brink of no return?