Freeze Frame Review

Heidi Ayarbe’s debut novel, Freeze Frame is certainly very exciting. It’s fast pace, short sentences and back-and-forth timeline makes it almost TOO exciting. Reading this book just nearly drove me into panic attack mode. The novel stars Kyle Caroll, a 15-year-old from Nevada. On a cold Winter morning Kyle and his best friend Jason decide to into the shed. The next thing Kyle knows, Jason is lying on the floor bleeding to death. Kyle has apparently shot his best friend. He then wakes up in police custody, not knowing where he is or that Jason is even dead. The novel is set up like a movie, some scenes are re-shot, and it is filmed out of order. It may seem confusing but it was really easy to get into. I felt really bad for the characters Jason and Kyle. Being a huge movie nerd, I loved all the Pop Culture references. The story’s format makes it all the more heartbreaking, since you only get bits and pieces of the story at a time and it’s up to you to piece them together. This made it a very unique read and though it’s a hefty 300+ pages, I read it in one day. I would definitely recommend this novel for the teen who likes darker stories, but it’s probably not for the Gossip Girl crowd.