What We Saw at Night by Jacqueline Mitchard

Thanks to a severe allergy to sunlight, Allie Kim has gotten used to living her life at night. Luckily for her, she has two best friends, Rob and Juliet, to spend her nights with. Juliet is not content to live life passively, especially in the face of the health issues the three must face daily, so she convinces Allie and Rob to learn Parkour. One night, while jumping off a new condo building, the three witness a crime. But even more frightening, the perpetrator seems to see them as well. Allie can't let go of what she saw, but she finds that investigating what happened that night reveals dark secrets about her community, and the people she loves.

Jacquelyn Mitchard's What We Saw at Night is pulse-pounding and unconventional. Her characters' genetic disorder is explained well without weighing down the narrative, and it adds a unique perspective and depth to the setting of the story. Mitchard also details the emotional toll of living at night in an interesting manner; Allie feels chained to her hometown because of her condition, but she struggles with hoping and planning for a future in the face of uncertainty. Parkour is partly how Allie, Rob, and Juliet deal with their restlessness, and it's an excellent element to the story. The stunts that are pulled are breathtaking, and they give the characters believable power, especially as they are pitted against the dangerous stranger, who appears to know how to get to each of the characters, and isn't afraid to kill or maim to get what he wants. In the midst of this mystery, Allie's relationships with Juliet and Rob are tested and shifted, and as secrets come to light, the tensions between the three friends heighten. What We Saw at Night is an excellent thriller: surprising, dramatic, high-stakes, and dangerous. Mitchard ends on a good note, but readers will be anxious for the sequel, What We Lost in the Dark.

Cover Comments: I love the cover for this one--the silhouettes on the roof and in the window are subtly creepy and very beautiful!

What We Saw at Night will be available on January 8th, 2013!

ARC provided by publisher.