Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Great
Recommended: Yes
Level: High School

Sloan and Piper are lifelong, best friends, but conflict arrises when Piper begins dating Sloan's secret love, Soup. The two friends have sworn to be loyal to each other without love interests. Despite this pact, Piper decides to start dating Soup, causing Sloan to distance herself from the friendship. Piper responds by fixing Sloan up with James, an older guy with a troubled past and rough edges.

Trouble begins when Soup decides to break things off with Piper because of his underlying connection to Sloan. Piper's impulsivity leads her to pursue James, resulting in the tragic death of Piper. In the aftermath, Sloan and Soup must figure out where they go from here.

I thought this work was a good reflection of the emotional conflict that comes with learning who you are and how you are different from your peers and those you love. Teens will relate to the representation of peer pressure and how the pressure to belong to a group can conceal one's true self. It was suspenseful and well-paced, which will keep readers engaged. The characters are real, have depth, and are believable. Highly recommended. ( )