Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/13/2025 Gr 6 Up—Cousins Bethany (Bee) and Alice, both 12, haven't seen each other since kindergarten, when "something big" came between their moms. Bee lives in rural Minnesota, comes from a very conservative and strict Lutheran family, and is a studious bookworm. Green-haired Alice lives in liberal Seattle, is into roller derby, and struggles in school. Alice and Bee reunite at their grandparents' 50th anniversary party and develop a strong bond despite their differences. The family rift pulls them apart once again, and it is further compounded by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent shutting down of schools across the county. Told in Bee's and Alice's alternating first-person voices and texts, the girls struggle to maintain a relationship across the country while trying to find out what happened in their family. They are supportive of each other's differences, and show more maturity than the adults in their lives. Many heavier topics are mentioned or integral to the story, including abortion, racism, questioning one's sexuality, homophobia, and the grandfather's verbal assaults (which are not questioned by the adults). Readers who remember the fears and prejudices during the pandemic will identify with the setting and time period. The conservative versus liberal family conflicts come across as fairly one-dimensional, with both sides seeming more extreme than is realistic. VERDICT While there will be readers who identify with Bee and Alice's struggles, some of the topics addressed may be more mature than the intended tween audience.—Michele Shaw - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/01/2025 Life rarely dishes out problems one at a time. Butler and Bacon lean into this inconvenient truth in their dual-perspective novel, putting the complexities and messiness of family dynamics and social discord on full display. Bethany (“Bee”) and Alice are 12-year-old cousins separated by geography and an unspoken family rift. A tense family gathering in Bee’s Minnesota hometown reconnects the girls, who secretly continue to text after Alice’s family returns to Seattle and endeavor to uncover what “broke [their] family.” Narration alternates between the girls, sensitively revealing Bee’s conservative Christian background and Alice’s more-liberal, secular perspective. Both families have their own struggles, which are further compounded by the arrival of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown. While some might deem the novel overstuffed, it is nevertheless realistic, and it offers readers excellent opportunities for debate and meaningful discussion on a wide variety of topics, particularly in a classroom setting. Ultimately, the story’s message to respectfully communicate and be open-minded regardless of one’s personal beliefs is a lesson worth learning. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.