I read mostly for writing, then plot, but this was stellar on both counts as a prank ends tragically upsetting Jo’s teen world, school, family and friends. The voice is spot on as is her remorse, grief and anger. A bleak portrait but a fine portrayal and one of the top books of my year’s titles. ( )

Short book. Men behaving badly. Adults not being adults. ( )

This one tried too hard for me and kind of missed the message. ( )

I happened upon this book while searching for another, and the premise intrigued me. It is a short read and contains a timely message, but ultimately this one didn’t impress me as much as I had thought it would. Oh how I wanted to enjoy this book more. ⁣
The premise and the characters were intriguing, but it was difficult to be fully invested in the story when the prose is overelaborate and prone to digressions. There were too many times when Jo would recall a memory, and then go into a long winded tangent about something unrelated to her subject, and I kept thinking “get to the point!”. I also wished for more insight about Jo in the present and whether she had healed from her trauma or not. ⁣ ( )

Jo Hadley is 15 - the age of possibility and promise. She has 2 best friends, Carly and Stephanie, but in impetuous teen fashion, they make devastatingly bad choices - drinking, getting high and taking out a golf cart at night at the country club 2 belong to. Jo is driving and when she crashes the cart, Stephanie is killed instantly. The rest of the small but powerful novel tells of Jo's departure from her MD hometown - it was clear she could not stay - and her enrollment at a prestigious MA boarding school, where she begins in Oct. of her soph year, in 1977. Vulnerable, alone, plagued by guilt and remorse, she takes solace in books and writing and catches the attention of Master Aikens, a star literature teacher whose classes are invitation only. Becoming one of "his favorites" has an exacting price and Jo examines this in hindsight. Eloquent and reflective enough to give some distance to some raw and terrible events, which make them read-able without that stomach-churning need to turn away. Ultimately, Jo inspires admiration and the situations inspire outrage. ( )