Sometimes events from our past affect how we interact with the world in the present. Scary things that happened in our childhood can come back to haunt us at unexpected intervals throughout our lives. That’s what’s happening to Dee. She thought a new school year would change things, but that one frightening event from her childhood keeps rearing its ugly head. No one knows about it outside her family, and she wants to keep it that way. She has enough problems, particularly with her football-star boyfriend, who lives primarily for the game and his growing popularity. It all contributes to Dee’s mounting insecurities. High school dynamics is difficult enough, but this?

Claire Nance’s young adult novel, Whatever Tomorrow Brings, is the second book in the Lindell High School series. Told in the first person, from Dee’s point of view, a lot of the story, particularly at the beginning, is told through dialogue. Although it’s difficult to get a clear picture of the setting and characters with all the dialogue, this alleviates partway into the novel as a more descriptive narrative takes over. The reader is then able to get a better sense of the individual characters, particularly the narrator, Dee. The plot moves slowly and delves into pretty typical teen issues, particularly young romance and finding one’s confidence and sense of place. The author includes a love triangle situation, which presents a growing conflict between Dee and her football-star boyfriend and someone else who’s elbowing his way into her life. This is an interesting read for the young adult reader.

Whatever Tomorrow Brings, written by Claire Nance, is set in the spring of 1970 and tells the story of teenager Dee Anderson, her boyfriend, Slate Garrett, her friend Marcus Easton and her sister, Carol. They are all students at Lindell High School, where Slate plays football and Dee is a twirler. She enjoys Bible study and teaching Sunday school for four-year-old children, and she sings in the church choir. Dee is dating “Slate the Great,” an all-district, all-state linebacker, but Slate is obsessed with football to the extent that it becomes a priority over his health and spending time with Dee. Dee feels her confidence dwindle as a result. She becomes insecure about their relationship, feeling threatened by prettier girls, especially Slate’s friend and locker girl Gwen Lichen. Marcus Easton is a long-time friend to Dee, and she confides in him, which Slate finds disturbing. Dee turns to her faith in times of trouble, something she will find herself doing more and more until she finally makes her life-changing decision.

Whatever Tomorrow Brings is a delightful story, skillfully written with characters that seem to come to life as they are so well described. The plot is carefully thought out, and while it may take some time for the characters to get there, it is worth it. The flow of the story makes it easy to read as the characters deal with all the obstacles that life throws at them. I particularly enjoyed reading about how these teenagers manage their relationships, reminding me of my own youth. I highly recommend Whatever Tomorrow Brings by Claire Nance, not only for teenagers but for parents as a reminder of what it is like to be young. There are no profanities or erotic scenes, so this novel is suitable for all ages. A lovely, enjoyable book.

It was a great book and it brought back my times in high school. The storyline was good and the description of the characters made the book come alive! I thoroughly enjoyed it! I look forward to reading more of Claire Nance’s books.

I enjoyed this novel. I think it would appeal to high school teens, those who can remember being a teen in any era, and also those who can remember being young in the 1970s. The Christian element in this novel should appeal to those of that faith but is not too intrusive for non-Christian readers.