Shift by Jennifer Bradbury is definitely a good read and worth the time. It's a young adult novel about two best friends who decide to take a cross country trip on their bikes after graduating from high school. When Win mysteriously disappears, Chris returns home without his best friend and has to put up with the subsequent investigation by the FBI and Win's overbearing, controlling father. The story shifts (sorry) between the "present" where Chris is trying to deal with the investigation and the "past" where we experience the bike trip between the boys and learn about Win's disappearance.
I loved this book, it was a quick read for me because I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the way the story flipped between past and present. Bradbury gives us clues in the present and then we learn the significance of it in the next chapter when we read about what happened in the past. I'm a fast reader, meaning that I scan most things and don't pick up minor details, it also means that I don't remember or connect clues in books if they are not immediately presented to me (I know its a bad way to read, trying to break the habit but it's tough!). This book was really good for me because I didn't have to wait long to find out the importance of one clue to the next. I think it really helped me appreciate how the story line evolved. The story is unique and out of the norm, which is another plus. There are so many sci-fi dystopian novels out there (and I'm as much of a fan of those as the next, but it's getting a bit old), it's refreshing to read something completely different.
Since this book isn't like any other that I've read I don't have any suggestions, like "if you liked xyz, you'll love this!", but I would strongly recommend it if you want to try out a new book. And hey, while your at it, support your local library by checking the book out from them, they'll love the patronage and it'll save you some cash and who doesn't like that?
Happy reading!