Can’t Look Away by Donna Cooner (review)

Torrey’s perfect life as carefree teen and massively popular beauty vlogger Beautystarz15 came to an end when her little sister, Miranda, was killed by a drunk driver. Now she and her parents have moved to be near family in Texas, and Torrey has to find her way in a new school where her star status and clothes savvy aren’t an asset but a threat. At the same time, Torrey is coming to grips with her grief and her guilt (she was a mean and excluding older sister, and her last exchange with Miranda was a pitched battle), a process that’s helped by her growing friendship with Luis, a handsome classmate who works at the local funeral home. Cooner capably crafts the narration of a girl who’s tied her identity to appearances and has lost any conception of herself other than as a vlogger relating to her audience (“How exactly am I supposed to talk about ribbed thigh-high socks in an engaging bubbly voice now that everyone knows my sister is dead?”), and she writes knowledgeably about YouTube culture of haul videos and haters. There’s also real sympathy for Torrey in her naked need to strategize for social success and her genuine bereavement, complicated by her realization of how little she appreciated her sister. The story is certainly imbued with message, but it’s chatty and negotiable, so both YouTube lovers and scoffers will find understanding and satisfaction here.