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Chase Ambrose
Shoshanna Weber is an outspoken, proudly nerdy girl and the most ambitious member of her middle school’s video club. When the novel begins, Shoshanna hates her classmates Chase, Aaron Hakimian, and Bear Bratsky for bullying her twin brother, Joel, so badly that their parents sent Joel away to boarding school. She hears about Chase’s fall over the summer but doesn’t realize he has amnesia at first. When Chase befriends video-club president Brendan Espinoza and joins video club, Shoshanna protests vociferously. She’s irritated when Chase dares to suggest an interview subject—an elderly Korean War veteran named Mr. Solway—for her National Video Journalism Contest project. Yet she recognizes that Mr. Solway might be a great interviewee, and when Mr. Solway only agrees to be interviewed on the assumption that the video is Shoshanna and Chase’s joint project, she resigns herself to working with a boy she loathes. Though it makes her feel disloyal to her family, Shoshanna realizes through working with Chase that he has changed since his accident. She persuades her parents to transfer Joel back to their old school, arguing that Chase isn’t a threat to Joel anymore. When Aaron and Bear frame Chase for bullying Joel again, Shoshanna feels like she’s been duped and judges Chase very harshly. After discovering Chase’s innocence, though, she judges herself harshly for jumping to conclusions—and she testifies as a character witness in Chase’s defense at his trial for stealing Mr. Solway’s Medal of Honor. At the novel’s end, it is implied that she and Chase have developed crushes on each other.
Shoshanna Weber Quotes in Restart
The Restart quotes below are all either spoken by Shoshanna Weber or refer to Shoshanna Weber. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2: Shoshanna Weber Quotes
I still can’t figure it out. Chase isn’t Darth Vader or Voldemort; he doesn’t have the Force or dark magical powers. And yet he, Aaron Hakimian, and Bear Bratsky made Joel’s life so miserable that my parents had no choice but to find him a school in another town.
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Chapter 5: Chase Ambrose Quotes
When I got amnesia, I lost thirteen years of myself. I have to replace those memories using what I can pick up from other people. But everyone has a slightly different version of me—Mom, Dad, my friends, the kids at school, even frozen yogurt girl. For all I know, the lunch ladies know me better than anyone else.
Who should I believe?
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Chapter 7: Shoshanna Weber Quotes
Shosh466: C’mon, little bro. U were miserable at home.
JWPianoMan: At least there I was special. Here I’m just another 2nd rate piano player.
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Chapter 13: Shoshanna Weber Quotes
That’s how I always looked at it. We are who we are, and we’re good with it. I figured the others felt the same way. Who cares what the popular kids think of us?
Was I ever wrong about that! As soon as someone from the A-list showed even the slightest interest in video club, we all went weak in the knees and lined up to love him.
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Chapter 14: Chase Ambrose Quotes
“I never wore it. Not that I was ashamed of it, but it didn’t feel right—like I’d be saying, ‘Look how great I am. I’ve got a better medal than you. Any dimwit can win a Purple Heart.’”
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Chapter 16: Shoshanna Weber Quotes
“I don’t know if he’s changed and I don’t care. The person he was broke up this family. What he did to Joel is unforgivable. That means he can never be forgiven.”
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Chapter 17: Joel Weber Quotes
There’s something about being bullied that you could never explain to someone who hasn’t had it happen to them. It’s worse than the sum of the rotten things that are done to you. Even when no one is bothering you, you’re still under attack because you’re dreading the next strike, and you know it can come from anywhere, at any time.
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Chapter 21: Chase Ambrose Quotes
Dad says the old Chase is back. I wanted that once. But right now the new Chase is the life I’d rather have.
And I’ve lost that too.
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Chapter 22: Shoshanna Weber Quotes
“He’s like a cobra. He lured us in until we trusted him. Then he struck. And now he’s slithered back to his old life as if nothing ever happened.”
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Chapter 28: Shoshanna Weber Quotes
“It was the old you!” Brendan mumbles around a rapidly swelling jaw.
“There’s only one me.” Chase says it so quietly that I can hardly hear him.
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Shoshanna Weber Character Timeline in Restart
The timeline below shows where the character Shoshanna Weber appears in Restart. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Shoshanna Weber
Shoshanna messages her twin, Joel, to let him know that “Alpha Rat” (Chase) fell off his...
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Shoshanna asks about the other Melton students. Joel replies that he’s unlikely to be bullied because...
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Shoshanna agrees: Chase and his friends Aaron Hakimian and Bear Bratsky bullied Joel relentlessly enough that...
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The day before school starts, Shoshanna’s parents always take her and Joel to a frozen yogurt shop called Heaven on Ice....
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Chapter 3: Chase Ambrose
...gone back to college). Chase is troubled because when he told Tina about a girl (Shoshanna) dumping frozen yogurt on his head, Tina downplayed the event’s importance and claimed not to...
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Chapter 4: Brendan Espinoza
...comes around the table and does it anyway, which earns him a disapproving look from Shoshanna passing by. Chase thanks him.
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Chapter 5: Chase Ambrose
...all the kids who’ve acted scared of him at school. He wonders whether he earned Shoshanna Weber’s rage.
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Chapter 6: Brendan Espinoza
...video for YouTube. They tell him his video idea is crazy; when he pleads with Shoshanna, she says they’d “get arrested.” The other members of the club walk off, leaving Brendan...
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Chapter 7: Shoshanna Weber
...state of admiration and hilarity—until they see Chase listed as a coproducer in the credits. Shoshanna, furious, asks whether Brendan wanted to get hurt. Brendan retorts that Chase was a great...
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Shoshanna, furious, points out that Joel left the school because of Chase and that no one...
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...some club members will enter the National Video Journalism Contest. Brendan, laughing, says that only Shoshanna will be doing that. Shoshanna informs Brendan that if he weren’t so obsessed with YouTube,...
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That evening, Shoshanna messages Joel to fill him in on Chase’s amnesia. When Joel says he feels weird...
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Shoshanna implies that she knows about Chase’s amnesia only because the whole school is gossiping about...
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Chapter 10: Kimberly Tooley
Brendan thanks Chase; other video club members do too. Shoshanna, incredulous, points out that Chase has bullied them all in the past, he was just...
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Alone with Kimberly, Chase turns to her and admits he doesn’t remember that Shoshanna had a brother. Kimberly explains that Joel was a piano player who switched schools due...
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Chapter 12: Chase Ambrose
...good it felt to stop Joey from bullying Brendan using “physical power.” He wonders whether Shoshanna’s right that he’s a violent person—whether the physical aggression he engaged in before the accident...
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...started preemptively mentioning Brendan’s name. Though most video club kids are fine with Chase now, Shoshanna still makes snide remarks about him joining. Kimberly has joined too. She’s terrible at film,...
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After Brendan shows the club his latest YouTube short, Shoshanna tells him he should stop wasting his time and contribute to her National Video Journalism...
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Chapter 13: Shoshanna Weber
Shoshanna is furious that the video club kids have forgiven Chase just because he’s a cool...
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In the facility, Shoshanna finds Mr. Solway’s room and explains to him that she wants to interview him for...
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Chase enters the room with a snack for Mr. Solway. Instantly, Mr. Solway looks happier. Shoshanna concludes that these two awful people would naturally get along. Chase tries to say hello...
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Chapter 14: Chase Ambrose
...their hopes up, but he himself is hopeful. At the assisted living facility, Chase spots Shoshanna entering—and quickly throws a distracting pass, because he doesn’t want to explain to Aaron and...
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It’s Chase’s third day filming Shoshanna as she interviews Mr. Solway. Though many of his stories are tragic, a lot are...
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When Chase goes back into Mr. Solway’s room, Shoshanna is hunting through the stuffed, messy closet. She tells Chase that she wants shots of...
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Shoshanna and Chase can’t find the medal anywhere else in the closet. Shoshanna asks when Mr....
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Shoshanna suggests that it’s strange of Mr. Solway to win a Medal of Honor and then...
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Chapter 15: Brendan Espinoza
...Chase’s help with the short—which Brendan has titled Leaf Man—Chase says he’s too busy with Shoshanna and Mr. Solway, but he eventually gives in to Brendan’s wheedling.
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Chapter 16: Shoshanna Weber
Joel, deeply unhappy at boarding school, keeps calling Shoshanna and their parents to ask about things at home. Shoshanna still avoids telling him about...
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...and sometimes tiresome—even to himself. One day, after he falls asleep on himself, Chase and Shoshanna decide to leave him in peace, go get food, and watch the footage they’ve collected....
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Someone in the shop says Shoshanna’s name. It’s her mother, staring in shock at her daughter working comfortably with Chase. When...
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Shoshanna’s mother and father stage an intervention at home, telling Shoshanna she can’t be friends with...
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Shoshanna’s father speculates that Shoshanna hasn’t told Joel she’s working with Chase. Shoshanna admits she hasn’t—and...
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Chapter 17: Joel Weber
...were—but now that he’s where he wants to be, his parents are nervously overattentive, while Shoshanna won’t stop mentioning Chase. When Joel snaps at her about it, she points out he’ll...
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...the hallway, but most don’t even seem to have noticed he was gone—which rankles him. Shoshanna hovers over Joel with such annoying protective energy that he tells her to leave him...
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...faculty advisor Ms. DeLeo pauses the video, all the kids crowd around Joel, and then Shoshanna performs a formal (re)introduction of Joel and Chase. Chase, looking horribly unhappy, says that he's...
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Chapter 18: Chase Ambrose
Chase’s past sins notwithstanding, he and Shoshanna are working well together on the video project and continuing to visit Mr. Solway. On...
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When the Webers discover Chase in their bushes, Shoshanna explains what he’s doing there—narrowly preventing her mother from calling the police. Mrs. Weber, somewhat...
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Later that day, after Chase and Shoshanna have finally finished editing their video project, they stop by Shoshanna’s house to back it...
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Chapter 19: Bear Bratsky
The school is summoned to an assembly to watch Chase and Shoshanna’s documentary project about Mr. Solway. When Bear and Aaron realize what they’re watching, they’re furious....
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When the documentary shows a clip of a generic Medal of Honor, Shoshanna’s voiceover explains that Mr. Solway was so modest that he forgot where he put his....
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Chapter 21: Chase Ambrose
...early for his appointment with the new doctor. Brendan is avoiding Chase in turn, and Shoshanna, when she sees him, gives him a death glare.
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Chapter 22: Shoshanna Weber
Shoshanna now believes that Chase tricked them all into believing he was a new person to...
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...seems bad but suggests that maybe they should give him “the benefit of the doubt.” Shoshanna retorts that if Aaron and Bear framed Chase, they nearly got him into terrible trouble—but...
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Shoshanna believes that the whole video club agrees with her—even Brendan agrees, deep down. Yet they...
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Chapter 24: Brendan Espinoza
...fire and that Chase hit Joel with the fire extinguisher accidentally. Excited, Brendan texts Chase, Shoshanna, and Joel to come to his house the following morning to see “something important.” Then...
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Chapter 26: Joel Weber
...feel like he deserved to suffer—but he’s more upset that Chase’s apparent reformation fooled him. Shoshanna, meanwhile, keeps describing the horrific tortures she’d like to inflict on Chase. When Joel tells...
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As Joel and Shoshanna walk to Brendan’s house, Joel wonders aloud what Brendan wants. When they run into Kimberly...
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Joel, Shoshanna, and Kimberly enter Brendan’s house. They wait about 30 minutes for Chase. Then Shoshanna claims...
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...pauses the video and says that it was an accident. Joel seconds Brendan’s interpretation. Meanwhile, Shoshanna’s internal conflict is showing all over her face; after a pause, she says that Chase...
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Joel tells Shoshanna that they should talk to Chase. Unexpectedly, Shoshanna agrees. When Brendan suggests that they should...
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Chapter 28: Shoshanna Weber
As Shoshanna marches toward the assisted living facility, she contemplates the “mix of good and bad” in...
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Loud noises fill the hall. When Shoshanna goes to investigate, she sees Chase sprinting down the hall, holding a vacuum cleaner. Then...
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Shoshanna sees Joel coming down the hall with Nurse Duncan and some security guards; she admires...
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...medal, so he supposes he “got what [he] deserved.” Mr. Solway looks stunned, Joel and Shoshanna are struck dumb, Brendan’s jaw is swelling shut, Kimberly’s confused, and Aaron and Bear don’t...
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Chapter 29: Chase Ambrose
...interact with him again—and he wishes he didn’t have to interact with himself. Though Brendan, Shoshanna, Aaron, and Bear call Chase’s house, Tina won’t let them speak to Chase. Chase is...
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...of people have come to the hearing: the football coach and some players, including Joey; Shoshanna, Joel, and their parents; Ms. DeLeo and some teachers. Chase assumes that they’ve come to...
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When Shoshanna takes the stand, Chase assumes she’ll criticize him harshly and asks Mr. Landau to stop...
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...year. Once they put him down, Chase—feeling tremendously grateful—thanks everyone and hugs several people, including Shoshanna, which causes Joel to laugh at them and Shoshanna to jump away blushing. Before she...
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Chapter 30: Brendan Espinoza
To Brendan’s shock, Kimberly has started liking him back—she admires how he defended her and Shoshanna from Bear during the fight at the assisted living facility, though she claims she’s mostly...
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Chase has started playing in football games again; the video club, including Shoshanna, attended his first game back. The football coach so admired the footage they took that...
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