The Gap Year spans a year in the lives of Cam and her teenage daughter Aubrey. But it is not a linear year; The Gap Year alternates between Cam's perspective in August 2010 and Aubrey's in August 2009. This is a significant span for them as it is Aubrey's senior year. It is also the year Aubrey rebels by quitting band and befriending (later dating) one of the most popular boys in school. One might think a mother would be thrilled that her daughter was dating a football player, but Cam is not that kind of mother. She prides herself on being a nonconformist and is hostile towards almost everyone in the well-to-do suburb she elected to live in because of the excellent schools there.
I enjoyed finding out how they got to their estrangement in 2010 through the alternating chapters, but it was also incredibly frustrating to keep discovering how absolutely clueless Cam was about her daughter's life. Actually just about everything regarding Cam was frustrating. She seemed to be a drama queen who enjoyed complaining. Furthermore, she completely wrote off the opinions of anyone who disagreed with her, including her daughter and ex-husband (who joined a religious sect that Cam terms a cult and is dismissive of). Aubrey, who goes through a number of normal teenage things like fitting in, dating, and making future plans, was very relatable and made The Gap Year a pleasure to read.
4/5
ARC Review
Review copy provided by Amazon Vine.
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