Your Life Has Been Delayed

A plane trip home from New York to St. Louis upends a rising senior’s existence when the aircraft, taking off in 1995, lands 25 years later, in (a Covid-free) 2020. The world has altered dramatically when aspiring journalist Jenny Waters, 17 and white, deplanes alongside her fellow passengers; though they’re unchanged and unaged, new styles have emerged, technology has advanced, loved ones have died, and partners have moved on. For Jenny, her brother and closest friends are all now middle-aged and raising families of their own. As the FBI investigates, conspiracies fly, and Jenny works to salvage her future, she struggles to find her place in a world that has long believed her dead and now labels her a hoax. She must also navigate a growing attraction to the white son of her now-grown best friend and onetime boyfriend. Mason adeptly depicts the shock Jenny experiences in jumping forward over two decades, depicting notable changes (e.g., in gender norms) to explore differences in teens’ lives between the 1990s and today. With its intriguing premise and approachable first-person narrative, this page-turner encourages readers to appreciate the now. Ages 12–up. Agent: Elizabeth Bewley, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Aug.)