Alex has been through some tough stuff - her mom died in a car accident when she was little, and her dad's been pretty much emotionally gone ever since. Alex's sisters seem like they're over it - but Alex isn't. The thing is, Alex's mom was leaving them when she died, headed for Colorado. Alex has spent her whole life searching for answers - why was her mom leaving? What was waiting in Colorado? And why didn't she love Alex enough to stay?Still, life is pretty good. Alex has two awesome best friends, Bethany and boy-next-door goofball Zach. The three of them have been BFFs forever, and they spend every Saturday planning their post-graduation trip to Colorado. Bethany and Zach know everything about Alex and her mom. They understand how much Alex needs to go to Colorado and she knows they'll always be there for her. Her job at the Bread Bowl isn't that bad, especially since her manager, Georgia, is kind of like a surrogate mom. And she just met the boy of her dreams.
Cole is perfect in every way. New in school, he's gorgeous, funny, a star basketball player, plays guitar, and adores Alex. He thinks it's really cool, not geeky, that she writes poetry, and when she's with him Alex feels like she's where she belongs - like she's really loved, for the first time since her mom left. She's never been so happy, and she'll do anything to hold onto it. So what if Cole's a little jealous of the time she spends with Zach? He'll get over it, once he realizes that Zach's just a friend. Right?
It turns out that Zach doesn't like Cole either - but for different reasons. Alex never has time to talk about it with Zach though, because she's always with Cole. Still, Alex knows Zach will come around - Cole is a great guy, and she loves him. The fact that he wants Alex all to himself just shows her how much he loves her too. As the school year goes on though, Alex finds it harder to ignore and excuse Cole's possessiveness, jealousy, and paranoia - especially when it explodes into violence.
From the author of Hate List comes this powerful novel about love, hurt, family, friends and the choices Alex must make to protect her heart and keep herself safe. Author Jennifer Brown explores how a smart, talented girl like Alex can fall in love with - and stay with - a boy who abuses her. Cole will win you over in the beginning too - even when you, unlike Alex, have a pretty good idea of who is. And, just like Alex, you'll be left in denial and gasping for air when her perfect boyfriend starts showing his true colors. The tension runs high in this one, so if you're the kind of person who yells at your books when they're freaking you out like I do, make sure you warn whoever's around when you're reading!
Megan
(now reading and loving Karma by Cathy Ostlere - a novel in verse set in India during the Sikh riots in 1984)