Playing in Traffic

by Gail Giles

I WAS THE GHOST OF THE SCHOOL CORRIDORS.

SKYE WAS THE DEVIL.

AND I WAS DOOMED FROM THE DAY SHE SPOKE TO ME

Skye Colby? She's the multi-pierced, multi-tattooed girl hanging around the cybercafés, always out at odd hours in marginal places. The jocks call her "slut puppy," the bland blondes in the plaid miniskirts wrinkle their noses at her, the teachers think she's brilliant, and the counselors call her unstable.

She's all of those things. So why has she singled out Matt Lathrop, an almost invisible nobody, for special attention? Clearly her agenda is dangerous, and clearly Matt should walk away. But how? Skye means mystery; she trails drama in her goth wake. Skye signals an end to his dreary existence -- but at what price?

Genres: Young Adult, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Suspense, Fiction, Mystery, High School

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Gail Giles is the author of six young adult novels. Her debut novel, Shattering Glass, was an ALA Best of the Best Book, a Book Sense 76 selection, and a Booklist Top 10 Mystery for Youth selection. The novel is about an high school boy named Simon Glass that is helped to become one of the most popular dogs in school by other students. Her second novel, Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters, was an ALA Top 10 Quick pick (2003) and a Book Sense 76 selection. Her third novel, Playing in Traffic, is an epic story about a boy trying to help a gothic girl.

She is a former high school teacher who grew up in Texas and now lives there happily with her husband, two dogs, and three cats. Gail has one son and two grandsons.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I liked about this book:
+ Katy. What an awesome character she was. The conflict between her and Matt at the end was heartbreaking.
+ Some of the writing. The beginning and the end notably.
+ When Matt's world begins to crumble around him, it is well-described and potent.
+ Matt is believable and unusual as a YA hero.
+ The last few lines. Gail Giles is known for her mindf--k endings, and this was undoubtedly my favourite. Except maybe Shattering Glass.

What I didn't like about this book:
- I just didn't fall for it. It was well-established that Skye was a messed-up girl and, as such, it was impossible for me to fall for any of the lies she told Matt, which separated me problematically from the protaganist and his struggle.
- I couldn't feel for her, couldn't believe her and so had no grip on her character whatsoever. If this was meant to be Giles' point, it was weakly (and poorly) made as it undermined the whole dramatic tension of the story. The twist was not a twist and it was impossible to sympathise or come close to understanding Skye. The great thing about Rob, the antagonist in Shattering Glass, was that you could really get your teeth into his character -- you hated, loved and pitied him all at once. He was three dimensions; Skye was only ever one-dimensional in her best scenes.
- Matt and Skye did not seem plausible and Giles made no effort to describe the intoxicating effect Skye had on Matt. It just had me saying, "What's so special?"
- The lack of grip we had on Skye's character also made her seem like a pantomime villain. While I was shook up by the ending, it seemed as though Giles created it for the sheer "oh my god" factor rather than any truth in storyline. After revealing herself to be a one-dimensional crow, why would Skye believe that Matt would choose her over Katy, her parents or his parents?
- Giles should have incorporated Skye's (step?)father Lex into the storyline a little more wholly. The revelation of Lex's "abuse" of Skye lacked any real twist value because we'd only met him, what?, once and so there was no "how could you do that?" factor.
- Sure, Matt's parents were neglectful. But there still wasn't enough of them to give the ending any real punch. It was all a bit of a "so what?" and a letdown from Giles.

[Shannon Zasoba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Playing in Traffic is about a girl named Skye Colby who is a goth/punk girl who is multi-pierced and multi-tattooed. She is into sex, drugs, and rock and roll but chooses Matt for herself. Matt Lathrop is an intelligent, mature, but very shy high-school senior. He ends up putting himself into danger through his romance with Skye. Matt was always in the background socially, looking forward only to college. Both he and Skye have family problems. Matts parents refuse to tell his sister Katy about the affair his mother had, along with the fact that Katy is Matts half sister. His parents continue to lie to the both of them even though Matt already knows the truth. His parents also lie about being in love. Skye has to deal with her father raping her almost every night, her mother knowing about it but not helping, and her little sister Lisa- who eventually gets put in a mental hospital because she has downs syndrome. Skye also cuts herself, she says it reminds her that she is still alive. One of the most popular girls in school tells Matt a different story from what Skye had originally told him, making him wonder who to believe. With the lure of excitement and especially of sex, Matt finds Skye impossible to resist. Although he eventually realizes that she’s only using him in her attempt to commit a terrible crime: the crime to kill her parents and to have Matt do it for her. She ends up using Matt and blackmails him using his sister, who he loves.

Throughout the book Matt becomes more interested in Skye's life and begins to want to know more. He even goes to Taylor- Skye's ex-best friend- to find out the truth. When Matt finally realizes he needs help with Skye, so he goes to his sister, Katy. Katy becomes disappointed in Matt because the things he told her are something he should tell an adult, not a thirteen year old. Matt soon realizes Skye had used him and never actually loved him. She chose him because no one would connect him to her- Matt was a nobody. In the end she try's to kill matt but also wants to kill herself, eventually she chooses and shoots.
Written in short chapters with titles that are the same as others will appeal to readers who are interested in psychology. I suggest this book to a mature audience of either gender (14+) because the book does deal with sex and drugs. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book was very interesting and filled with suspension which will leave you wanting to know more. Enjoy.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is essentially a novella about relationships between people with problems. It's exciting and a very easy read. I found it absorbing to just jump into and read through, and I finished it in a single sitting. The author's writing style is engaging. The ending was pretty dramatic.

Unfortunately, there were some problems. In general, the editing was good, but it's pretty much unavoidable that a couple errors will slip through for the first printing of any piece of long fiction, and one editing problem in particular of this book is accidentally using the name Jeremy where it should have been another character's name, which made for a very weird moment while trying to understand what was going on. The ending wasn't so much an ending as an attempt to leave the reader shocked. The way characters were portrayed made it feel like the meaning of the whole story was either about how certain stereotypes are bad (cheerleaders, fratboys, recreational drug users, and goths) or about nothing at all -- a sort of nihilistic refusal to convey meaning. I suspect the intention was more about the latter, not having any meaning, just being pure entertainment for the reader and revenue stream for the author, but even if it didn't have any real meaning behind it people will read meaning into it, and I don't like what this book says if I start trying to find meaning in it. It's a bit difficult at times to discern whether particular tendencies to judge and stereotype are features of the characters or of the author.

Thinking about what happened in the story, what I saw was that almost everyone was a bad person, and to the extent they were good people they all got screwed over. Thinking about the consequences, it looks like everything is about to get much, much worse after the last page.

I suppose there might be one other interpretation of meaning in this book: the whole world sucks, along with everyone in it, because if you try to not suck you're going to get screwed over the hardest.

I enjoyed reading it, all the way through it. I did not enjoy thinking about it after the fact. Maybe it'll give you a couple hours of enjoyment to read it, but I don't think it'll ever make your life better to have read it.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skye Colby is flirting with Matt Lathrop. She is a very wierd goth girl who is apparently hot to Matt, a kid who is an almost invisible nobody. He thinks that she is fun to hang out with outside of school, but ignores her in school because of her social status.After he and Skye hang out one night, the next morning a school, she goes over to his locker. He tries to ignore her. Trying to be discreet after the conversation, he turns around hoping no one saw them, and there is Taylor Bankslooking totally wierded out. I can't wait until I get farther into it. It sounds and looks really good. I'm stil really early in the book.
As the book goes on, Skye tells Matt many lies so he will feel sorry for her. She told him that she had a sister with down syndrome, who is actually her step-mom's neice. She also told him that her step-dad which she doesn't have, molests her, and that her mom, actually a step-mom, lets him while she gets high. Matt finally just men Skye's prents and said that her father could never hurt her because he loved her too much. I just found out that the only reason Skye got close to Matt was because she wanted him to kill her parents. Matt also found out that Sky's step-mom, Tammy, is pregnant.
At the end of the book, Matt and sky meet at the beach house that they go to often. After Matt confronts Skye about al the lies he told her, she threatens to kill his sister if he doesn't kill her parents. Skye asks Matt who he wants dead more, his sister, him, or Skye's parents, and he answers that he wants Skye dead. Skye shoots herself, and the book ands with that.

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 1 out of 5]

like.. Seriously Matt finds out the Skye is lieing and she wants him to kill her parents... why didn't he just nope right out of there. "she needs me." No you are retarded, so.. he looses his two friends because sex or something.
Oh she stole my car... but I'm gonna stick around. (though really he was a ahole to throw her joint in a puddle. 'hey not weed! here just only underage drinking is okay.' oh no not super scary weed!!! Its not like he's noble seeing has he likes to drink... )
Oh she lied to me about everything.. but I'm gonna stick around.
Oh she hurts herself and says its my fault... but I'm gonna stick around.
Oh she was serious about the killing part.. no shit...

so.. am I suppose to care for Skye at all? I wish we got to know why she was the way she was other than you know poor writing
like you know shes huge liar even from that start nothing was shocking.. only just going to show how stupid Matt was. Which was frustrating to read because he's just hohum when he finds it out and makes it seem like he doesn't even care. So who am I to even like in this book other than Katy and Taylor?

also idk why do goths almost always really screwed up characters? Being one over 10+ years and I gotta say... I never once knew anyone like how most YA makes them out to be.
I like to read YA's with goths in them IDK just kinda.. to find that odd one that makes them.. actual humans

[Michelle Tiznado · Rating 1 out of 5]

I originally picked this book because of the title. It seemed very intriguing to me and it immediately caught my attention. I read the summary at the back of the book and decided it would be a good book for me to read. When I first started reading it seemed okay pretty average beginning explaining each character and they all seemed quite interesting. Specially the character Skye. She was the total opposite from Matt. She had tattoos and she didn’t have the best reputation at school which made her pretty known. Matt was the complete opposite. He was quiet and he kept to himself. He only had a couple of friends who were trustworthy. In some ways he was somewhat invisible to others around him. In my opinion it is not the best book I have ever read. It could have been better. One of the reasons I didn’t like it was because nothing exciting was really going on. Everything was just sort of happening. In some ways it was boring. Another reason was because the climax of the book was towards the end. Nothing much really happened for the rest except they saw each other at night but they didn’t really talk about much. Maybe it was the fact that I had high expectations for the book that I didn’t end up liking it. It will probably be better for someone else.

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Genre: bleak lit, goth, relationships
Summary: Skye is a psychopathic liar who uses people to get what she wants. She is loosing the attention of her father and step-mother with the coming birth of a new baby. She does drugs, cuts herself and sleeps around. She picks Matt, an average boy and they start having a messed up relationship. Turns out, Skye wants Matt to kill her parents? If he doesn't, she threatens to hurt his little sister, basically the only person he cares about. At the very end of the book, she pulls a gun on him, telling him to choose who's to die. The ending is cryptic, but I was led to believe that Skye killed herself.
Response: I don't like bleak lit. I don't like the feeling I get when I read it. I don't think the plot is decent and there isn't a point in reading it. I don't know why Skye did all of the things she did and I don't know why Matt put up with it for as long as he did. The ignorance of the parents is astonishing in this book, so I don't think it is too terribly realistic.

[Jake Austro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my second from Gail Giles but this was nothing short of "Right Behind You"
i Rated this book a 4 out of 5 because i loved the way Matt and Skye's characters fed off of each other also i loved the way Katie's character was used almost as a voice of reason which really added a whole new dimension to the book. This book had one of the largest jaw dropping endings i have ever read in a novel which left me sitting in awe as i closed the cover for my final time.
One dislike i had with this book was there not really being a back story about skye. just because she is a mysterious character doesn't mean she has been that way her whole life. The again this is just my opinion

[Michael E. Bonilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've decided to go back into reading and this was the first book I chose to start with. As a comment mentioned, they chose the book because the cover and title attracted them, as it did to me (props to Jaye Zimet- jacket designer). This book has been an amazing and enjoyable read; the story had me wanting to go back and keep reading.

Matt, the inconspicuous guy that fell for the lusty gothic girl, Skye. I was a high school student last year, so I could still vividly connect myself with the setting and the characters. At first, it seemed a normal teenage romance but then the true colors of Skye: a manipulative, crazy and mentally unstable girl. She went as far as to blackmail Matt with her sister's picture. That was so low, so sinister and sadistic. I have a sister, so I could understand the massive rage he felt at that moment.

The evolution of Matt was interesting to see. It was shown at the beginning of the book that he was a shy, inclusive person, but being involved with Skye has given him a spark. The Goth Girl gave him a taste of excitement- sexual, illegal and romantic excitement. She made him feel sentiments he never had experienced. After Skye's lying mask had been uncovered, he acted in ways he couldn't have done in the beginning of the book- a "New Matt"

He began to talk back, as seen with the hospital's receptionist. He began to stand his ground, as seen with his friend Jeremy. He had become a raged-driven teen who decided that he wasn't going to live a life as an observer anymore.

The ending was interesting. I really thought Matt would confront Skye and kill her by strangling her or the like. It would be easy since Skye was drunk and she would'nt be fast enough to grab her gun, but maybe that is too much for a teen novel or isn't so Matt-like. In a way, he did kill her by choosing her to die. After that night, Matt would continue his life as New Matt, thanks to Skye. Most likely, he will create new friends, be more out there and become active instead of reactive, as Taylor said. Skye took Matt to the traffic, and he was ran over so much, but he learned to drive. And will continue to drive without Skye.

The book was great, but not perfect. The author repeats words more than three times- swigged, hauling, wadded, to name and few. And there's even some errors in the book. At some point, Ken was confused with Jeremy, and I had to read the entire page many times to see if I missed something and understand it. Skye's past was left hanging- why did she lied so much? Was his father really molesting her? Why did she became the way she is? What really happened in her house? There are so many questions. Sure, she didn't want the baby to be born, making her lose the "little space" she has in her family, but there's gotta be more than that. You can't throw many things and then not explain them. The author didn't ventured down into her past as much. And it's something important.

All in all, very good book. Enjoyable reading. Would recommend.

[Stephany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playing in Traffic was the typical perfect book for antsy teens. I enjoyed the way the book was formatted into character chapters. Each "chapter" didn't really have a name but instead had the character that was mentioned the most as the name of chapter. The chapter were typically 2-5 pages but there a lot of them. I enjoyed seeing Matt characters growth uncovering what Skyes true intention were. I also enjoyed seeing how Skye and Matt bonded over uncommon things. They both have had troubled past, and I wasn't sure if they made one another better people, or worse.

[hunting h. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I truly feel bad when I must criticize an authors work when they probably haven't done much wrong but Christ

Demonizing mentally ill people is my main issue. Aside from the bad writing with overused cliches and tropes, we all do it I'll leave that alone, but it's quite obvious that Skye was mentally ill and made into a villain and I just can't stand for that

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most confusing gothic story I've ever read.

[Joel Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles Bleak, suspense, brother/sister and
teenage relationships

As narrated by Matt, Playing in Traffic is a bleak novel telling the story of a quiet, doormat senior class man in high school with a few friends and no history of cool or relationships with girls. And then the school goth-girl singles him out and wants to be his lover. Matt finds out, though, that he becomes her used lover as she utilizes him to do her dirty work and equivocally console her. Matt soon finds out that he has placed himself in a "Hell-hole" and there is no way out but death. While this plot pursues Matt to a situation he never wanted to be, his strong relationship with his sister weakens as secrets of the family are revealed, leaving Matt seemingly alone in the end.

This book was definitely engaging but I become somewhat tired of the strong language, though real, and directly sexual images. I do not know how Giles got passed the censors, but she did allowing her book to enjoy an engaging, hard, and direct feeling. I would probably feel comfortable giving this book to a sophomore, junior, or senior that is stable and "normal" in order to show them intrinsic plot development between main and sub-plots. I believe that one can get redeeming value out of almost anything, so this book obviously contains some redeeming value, but it seems to be of the "What NOT to do" nature.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

420 Requirement: Gail Giles
Mental Illness, Abuseive Realationships, Family Relations

Matt is a low key guy whose parents aren’t around much. He and his sister look out for each other, but Matt is keeping the family secret from her. Katy’s father is not Matt’s father. Meanwhile, Matt has gotten involved with a girl named Skye, the school’s goth girl, slut. She is needy and he dreams of being her knight in shining armor, and tapping her. This confusion between wanting to be a good guy and wanting to lose his virginity pulls at him. But things get really out of control when Skye goes on a self-destructive rampage and spins Matt into her tangled web of lies. As Matt realizes what a mess he has gotten himself into, he tries to
This book confronts what can happen to nice kids who try to help their self-destructive manipulative peers. It also looks at the extremes teens go to in order to define themselves. It’s not a bad read, fairly true to life and engaging, if you can stomach the swearing and sex. However, because there is so much sex, underage drinking, and cursing I would not recommend it to anyone.

[K. Thielen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat! It's another psychological thriller by Gail Giles with an ending that will leave you breathless. There is mature content and language throughout the story so it's not appropriate for younger adolescents.

Matt is just an ordinary guy until he meets Skye, the goth girl everyone ignores and makes fun of. He knows she is not really his type, but he's heard she might be "easy," so he ignores the fact that he doesn't even really like her and lets her in. Skye tells Matt horrific stories about his past and those stories really affect him. He starts to feel like she really needs him. Even so, both of them are determined, for different reasons, to keep their relationship a secret. As Skye reels Matt in, a friend with a back story involving Skye, tries to warn him. And though he sees that she is right, he just can't stay away from her. Skye tells Matt that she's picked him - that he's the one. He thinks this means she loves him, but really it means she intends to use him and when she asks him to do the unthinkable, Matt must really come to terms with what he wants from life and where Skye is trying to take him.

[Cathleen Ash]

Matt’s invisible. Not in the “I’m right here but you can’t see me” kind of invisible, but close. He’s one of those senior high school guys who makes it through all four years of school and people only vaguely remember his face. Nothing that he did. Nothing that he said. Matt likes invisibility, but he finds it hard to keep his once Skye starts playing up to him.

Skye is bad…bad in all the ways Matt would never dream of being. But when she teased the tip of her tongue out from between her “come-kiss-me-lips,” he was lost.

She shows up at school wearing black tights and a skirt made of duct tape. The bottom is cut into fringe high on her fabulous thighs. The waistband is a man’s tie. White lace top over a black lace bra. She’s a neon sign screaming SEX.

Matt didn’t mind licking the hollow of her throat in the park late last night after he snuck out of the house, but talking to her looking like that in the bright light of the school was out of the question.

Matt’s torn between his lust and alarm bells in his head screaming “she’s dangerous!” It’s like Playing in Traffic…by Gail Giles.

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Go play in traffic: "When you get tired of someone and you want them to commit suicide."--Urban Dictionary
What a book. I had no idea of the term "go play in traffic" before I read the book, and if I had, I may have known what was going to happen. I still can't believe what happened. I had an idea that it would happen, but I wasn't expecting the book to end right then. I keep picture Matt's reaction after she shot herself right in front of him. I just see him freaking out and screaming and literally having no idea what to do or what happened or what he's going to do--how is he supposed to tell anybody? It's really intriguing how the book ended so suddenly --as if to be symbolic of Skye's life abruptly ending. I love Gail Giles. I love her writing style--I can tell it's really her. WOW. I just don't know what to say. I didn't really enjoy the book, but it was pretty dang good. I feel about it the way I feel about the movie "Saturday Night Fever"--I didn't like it, but it was good nonetheless. I can't deny that.

[Anthony Anness · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is about a guy named Matt and a goth girl named Skye. They start dating and it tells of all the things that happen between them. In Matt's perspective. The main characters are Matt and Skye. The main characters had several adventures. They once went to a rave. With Skye being the unique individual she is, she has been to many. Matt hasn't. So it tells of their experience.

I can't really relate to Matt in this book. I've never dated a girl that had a personality like Skye's. Really I would try to avoid dating a girl like that. It's too much for me.

I thought the book was okay. It wasn't too great. At times the book got sexual, I enjoyed those parts but the rest just seemed boring. The author done a good job of keeping my attention at times. But then it would alternate from that to a 100% different situation.

I wouldn't recommend this book to people. But if I had to I'd recommend it to the people that are interested in others peoples relationships. It's just not my cup of tea.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by Call for Casa bookclub

[Raylee Gifford · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel follows an ordinary teenager Matt who begins to be shown special attention by Skye. Matt thinks that Skye is incredibly sexy in her own dark way and he can't figure out why she would be interested in him. Even though he is confused he is taken into her web when she convinces him to sneak out and lets him make out with her. After Matt and Skye have sex for the first time he knows that he would do anything for her. As their relationshiop develops Skye tells him a series of stories describing her sad life and how she has been mistreated by her parents and is even being molested. Matt cuts himself off from the rest of his friends and his whole world becomes Skye until one of Skye's former friends is finally able to warn him that Skye's whole story is fake. Skye finally asks Matt to kill her parents so that she can be happy. When Matt refuses she threatens his family and determines that someone has to die. Honestly, I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[bjneary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Gail Giles---Playing in Traffic is aptly titled, about a teen, Matt, who is pretty pathetic when it comes to girls, he has about 2 friends and mostly absentee parents. He is really close to his kid sister, Katy, because of his hands off parents and something he overheard when he was 10 years old. After that, Matt was Kayt's parents, best friend and confidant. Now Matt is being set up and seduced by bad girl, Skye. He knows "she plays in traffic"----and he doesn't, but it feels so exciting to be with her---AND no one knows about this relationship, either....The mind games these two play on each other is unnerving, a quick read that teens won't be able to put down and what an ending!!! I learned that if you can't trust yourself, you shouldn't trust someone else, especially if they are as unbalanced as SKYE!

[me,myself and hubbz dats all · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really interesting as soon as you read the first page your drawn into it. it talks about a boy named Matt and how he basically is the father of his little sister because he was the one who always looked after her when his parents are at works witch is kinda always and also how she might not be his whole sister but just his half it talks about how Matt is like his own little world/box he doesn't hang with a lot of people but one day the school goth girl also known as Skye picks him out thats when Matt's life changes and turns into something secretive and also exciting he keeping it from his friends his family but also he falling in love with Skye or is it just the excitement she brings?

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gail Giles must be a professional in writing. I'm not a big reading fan, so when I come across a book that I love, it has to be a great book. I couldn't stop turning the pages as soon as I set my eyes on the first few paragraphs. The situation sounds so realistic, which made me read on since I love to hear other people's drama. It keeps my blood circulating as I wonder about the situation and think about questions that make me think so hard my head hurts. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves drama and a storyline that would make you be like "OMG!" This book is not lame like the paranormal activity movies. There are a lot of twists and turns in the story. The book is awesome like the Tyler Perry movies. Not always funny, but something that is worth looking at.

[Ezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Christmas day, I’m in the middle of a painful divorce, and yesterday my soon to be ex-husband called me to let me know that he has COVID and is symptomatic. I’m already fighting a kidney infection and now this means my daughter, who shuffles between us, and I are on strict quarantine at home.

That seems sad, I am also, a 30-year-old who is reading the same in adult novel that he loved in middle school. This is such a great touchdown to come back to you.

Gail Giles really wove some magic with the simple authenticity of her characters and dialogue. It still has an effect on me, and when I go back to re-read
it every few years when life has gotten particularly tough, it always does the trick because it remains absorbing the whole way through, on every readthrough.

[TheSaint · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you grew up in a city or town, likely you heard from a parent: "Don't play in traffic!" Gail Giles seeks to reinforce the dangers of life in her new book Playing in Traffic. And if there's one word that describes Skye, it's dangerous. Dangerous and deceptive. Ok, two words. And Matt Lathrop has fallen for her scheming ways about as hard as a teenage guy can fall. Matt wants to believe that Skye is just playful and adventurous, if maybe a little disturbed, what with all the IMs telling him to meet her in the middle of the night. But when she asks him to prove is devotion to her, he finally wises up -- to save himself, his family, and maybe Skye, too.

[Robin - · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters in Playing in Traffic are so various that you can't believe they can get along with each other at all. There are several family issues that make the story vivid and varied. The chapters are rather short what makes the reading more attractive. Every chapter deals with a specific character of the book. A recurring chapter for example is "Skye" in which the authors writes mainly about the goth styled girl, antagonist of Matt - the main character. I can hardly find anything negative about the book and I recommend it for young readers who like reading "non-boring" language kind of books.

[Nico · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really usually like her books because they're very drama filled and I like the characters. But this one was just too much. I felt like she tried to put too much in it and didn't explain it all. I also realized half way through this book that I had already read it before and had completely forgotten about it, which makes the point that it's an unremarkable read and it won't really stay with you for very long after you've turned the last page.
Overall the story could have been good and the main characters were luke warm interesting, but that's all it had going for it. The cover I had is pretty unremarkable too. However I'll try not to let this book ruin my love of her other books.

[Jaemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've loved Gail Giles ever since I read Shattering Glass, which I knew would probably disturb most people, but was to me true to life. Playing in Traffic keeps with the realism, telling the story of a high school boy caught up in the web of a seemingly sweet, innocent and abused, but very troubled classmate. In time it turns out most of her tales are untrue, but there are so many variations it becomes hard to keep up. The suspense is high, and the ending will either fit right in or leave you gaping. If you like the edge-of-your-seat feeling, this book is worth your while.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance

Mental Illness/family/suicide/sex

Matt is a doormat, invisible to everyone, even his friends. That's until Skye notices him, inviting him to experience her world of sex, raves, lies, and excitement. It ends when he realizes that she really is crazy, and will really never love him, and really is using him terribly. I hated it, personally. It was interesting to read, though. I hated it not that I think it's of no value, but because it made me uncomfortable, and even a little depressed. It made me think about and scrutinize similar people, including myself. It was unpleasant.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles
Genre: fiction
Um. Sorry I did not like anything about this book. Ok so Matt is an ordinary high school boy and randomly this hot goth chick starts paying attention to him and lures him into her trap with her sexuality, but she really is just trying to use him to murder her parents?
Creepy and disturbing on several levels and I didn't like the characters or the weird format of the chapters. A lot of sex tension and bad language and other serious, adult, and bleak themes. I can't say I recommend this book to young adults, definitely no one under 16.