After a car accident leaves Lexi’s face terribly scarred, she is forced to figure out what is truly important in life.
Lexi is the beautiful one. Her best friend, Taylor, is the wild and funny one. Together they are an unstoppable force. Everything seems perfect until one summer night when it all falls apart. After finding her boyfriend, Ryan, and Taylor making out at a party, Lexi wants nothing more than to escape. She begs a ride from Taylor’s brother, Jarrod, who takes the opportunity to hit on her. An argument quickly escalates, leading to an accident that changes Lexi’s life forever. Angry and bitter, Lexi pushes everyone away from her. It isn’t until her sister, Ruthie, and Theo, a guy with no patience for Lexi’s self-pity, are honest with her that Lexi starts peeling away the plastic life she once had and discovers the real one underneath. Authentic dialogue, complex characters and an interesting narration lift this story above others with a similar theme. Even when she’s behaving erratically, Lexi’s sarcastic wit and genuine emotion make her a girl readers will root for. These characters drink, are sexually active and swear, making them instantly recognizable to older teens.
Artful and satisfying. (Fiction. 14 & up)
