ARC Tour & Review: The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

It’s been two years since Noelle disappeared. Two years since her bike was discovered, sprawled on a sidewalk. Two years of silence, of worry, of fear.

For those two long years, her best friend Tessa has waited, living her own life in a state of suspended animation. Because how can she allow herself to enjoy a normal high school life if Noelle can’t? How dare she have other friends, go to dances, date boys, without knowing what happened to the girl she thought she would share everything with?

And then one day, someone calls Noelle’s house. She’s alive.

A haunting psychological thriller taken straight from the headlines, The Tension of Opposites is a striking debut that explores the emotional aftermath of a kidnapping on the victim, and on the people she left behind.


When I heard that Kristina McBride got her inspiration for this novel from a real kidnapping that took place I became hesitant to read it.  I know it isn't right to want to remain ignorant of the horrors that happen on a daily basis in the world, but sometimes I have to block it all out to be able to sleep at night.  Meeting Tessa in this book, who's best friend Noelle was kidnapped and then came home after two years was interesting.  Tessa felt as if she couldn't move forward because of what happened to Noelle and was also incredibly guarded after the incident.  It was tough to read but even harder to imagine going through a situation like that personally.  Anyone who picks up this book has to know it's going to be an emotional read but at times the intensity still took me by surprise.

McBride gives readers a chance to look at how these kinds of traumas affect not only the victim of the crime but also the victim's family and friends.  It's an intense depiction of a terrifying situation and the aftermath few hear much about.  On a slightly lighter note, I will say I really enjoyed the relationship between Tessa and Max.  It was a slight reprieve and I appreciated that.  It was portrayed in a realistic light which flowed nicely with the development of the story as a whole.  There was a lot of growth and understanding throughout.
This is not a light and easy or quick read in my opinion, but I've never been a crime scene show type of girl either.  I'm glad I got the chance to read it not to mention how much I enjoyed McBride's writing.  I'm hoping this debut is only the beginning for her because I would love to read more of her work in the future.

I gave The Tension of Opposites 3 shamrocks!!!