Jek/Hyde by Amy Ross

Harlequin Teen, 2017. ISBN 9781489243768
Jek/Hyde is a modern retelling of the classic Stevenson novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Set in an industrial town called London, the novel follows Lulu, a seventeen-year-old who is worried about her best friend and crush, Jek. Jek is insanely smart for the seventeen-year-old and because of his mother's position at London Chem he has acquired enough equipment to have a fully functioning lab of his own. As he grew older his experiments became less and less family friendly and, unknown to his mother, his interest in psychoactive drugs grew. While Jek's science ensures he is a recluse this can be hard for Lulu who has been pining for him since they were children.
But Jek isn't the only boy around and Lulu soon meets Hyde. He is thrilling and dark. Completely anti-nice-guy. He's at all the London Chem Brat parties but also seems to be a friend of Jek. Despite their apparent friendship they are never seen together. After catching Hyde emerging from Jek's place Lulu confronts Jek only to find that, for once, this is not a subject they can talk about. Hyde's mystery remains and when Jek disappears it's Hyde that Lulu goes to to find him. But is she too late to save the boy she loves?
While this novel is a way to read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in a modern setting its introduction of a love triangle strips back the inner conflict of Jekyll and Hyde. While the novel does touch on drug addiction it doesn't deal with it. I wouldn't recommend other than as a more accessible version of the original text.
Kayla Gaskell