The idea of knowing the future sounds like a lot of fun, but sometimes it can really be a horror story. Jem, a 15-year-old girl growing up in London, knows the most horrible secret anyone could have. When she looks people directly in the eye, she sees the 8-digit number making up the date of their death.

Her ability has driven her to try and keep a distance between herself and others because sometimes it just hurts too much to know that information. Jem lives in foster care because her father disappeared before her birth and her mother overdosed (a date she saw and an experience that aided in her ability to realize what the numbers meant) when she was just a small child. It would appear that she is on her last chance with her current foster mother, Karen.

At school, she flies under the radar of just about everyone, students and adults alike. That doesn't stop her from meeting Spider, a tall and skinny black boy in her classes. The two quickly find kindred spirits, and a friendship develops. The only problem is that when she looked into his eyes, she sees that his death is only weeks away.

After finding themselves on suspension for an incident at school, Spider and Jem head into London proper for the day. After a little shopping, they end up at the London Eye and consider going for a ride. That all changes when she notices that a bunch of people in the crowd all have the same death date ... and it is that day. Jem grabs Spider, and they flee from the area.

Cameras in the area catch them, and they quickly become people of interest because they are either witnesses themselves or they might even be the terrorists. The two end u on the run with only some supplies from Spider's Nan to keep them going. Along the path, they meet a number of helpful and interesting people as well as find that maybe they are more than friends.

I thought the concept of the book was really interesting, but I was not sure whether I was going to like it. I knew people who read it, and one of them really didn't like it. The other loved it.

In some ways, it is a tough book to read. Both Jem and Spider have had very tough lives, and they are surrounded by grittiness. With that said, it is this grittiness that adds so much reality to Jem and her decisions. Why else wouldn't she just turn herself in and allow truth and justice to protect her with the authorities.

The book ends with a number of moving scenes (make sure to have tissues nearby) and a Sixth Sense moment at the end. Basically, I totally loved it and read it in just over a day. Take a chance and give this one a try. It is TOTALLY worth it.