EVERY REASON TO STAY

A teen grieving the sudden death of her father discovers that she’s been lied to her whole life.

Sixteen-year-old Skylar’s relationship with her musician dad is everything, not just because he’s the only parent she’s ever known. He accepts her as she is, providing her with an emotional safety net despite his reluctance to speak about her mother. When Dad is killed by a drunk driver, her world collapses. This devastating blow is compounded when Dad’s manager reveals to Sky that her mother, Mona, is still alive. Sky, who’s Black and bisexual, must work through a tangle of emotions as she leaves Austin, Texas, for Alexandria, Virginia, and the home her mother shares with her Latina wife, Gaby, and 10-year-old son, Frankie. Sky initially rejects Mona’s overtures, but her stepbrother, Gaby’s biological son whose own father also died, and a neighbor boy, Cameron, prove irresistible. Entering a baking contest run by Cameron’s parents, who own A Cupcake a Day, helps her reconnect with a pursuit she loves. Gradually, with help from therapy, Sky begins to cope with her grief and anger. Sky is a fully developed character whose story unfolds in an engaging way through well-drawn distinctions between her old and new lives. The family and cultural dynamics ring true as does the snappy dialogue between Sky and her friends, and several plot twists deepen the narrative.

A satisfying read that successfully balances themes of loss, resilience, and healing.