Review Detail

Some books hit you right in the feels (or a bit lower). This is one of them.

In the wake of a horrible car accident that took one life and changed many others, five small town teens most learn to cope with the aftermath.

Peyton is "the fat girl", ridiculed by her classmates despite her every attempt to get in shape. Cameron, the aspiring track star with Olympic dreams and Peyton's BFF, disappears for 18 months following the accident, leaving all of Peyton's emails unanswered. When he returns, nerves are raw ... and for good reason.

The first half of this book will have you reaching for hankies, so keep them close. The sheer level of meanness in this small-town high school was so awful it made me wince. But despite the black cloud that hangs over this group of former friends, a ray of sunshine tries to poke through. Unbeknownst to her peers, Peyton has created a wonderful app of self-empowerment that (anonymously) gets the attention of everyone fed up with the domination of the school's pretty people.

As a former teenage outcast, reading this story made me hopeful for the future. Body shaming is a terrible thing, and putting it a stop to it (hell, ALL forms of bullying) are long overdue. I hope that millions of people will read this book and pay it forward. This book is THAT good. (less)