3.5.

I purposely went into this one not having read any reviews and not knowing what the real meat of the story was. In many ways I'm glad I did, and in other ways, I wish I had been more prepared. This was a powerful but painful read. I'm about the last person to read it, but I waited because I wanted to save it for when I needed a good, strong contemporary. Consider this one to have delivered.

Jenna's new identity in high school is her saving grace. It's what's helped her move on from the past, which included Cameron, a boy who she's been led to believe died. But when he comes back into her life, the one she's so carefully constructed, things fall apart. She has to face the things she's shoved away, and so does he. Ultimately, it changes both of them, I think, for the better.

(view spoiler)[ I didn't expect the abuse story line, precisely because I didn't read any reviews and the blurb doesn't hint at it. I don't want to say I liked it, but it was well done without being an emotionally-burdensome plot element in the story. I related to Cameron quite a bit in some ways, and I ached for Jenna to just *get* it, and when she did, it was a huge relief (to Cameron, to herself, to me). Emotional abuse is a wicked thing and not easy to understand or explain or work through. The scars aren't visible, but they're there regardless. Reading this wasn't easy, and I'm glad of that. Zarr uses restraint and never gives us the entire story. We're not privileged enough to have it. We can only get what Jenna allows us to have, and that's even limited to what she allows herself to have. (hide spoiler)]

With the notion of restraint, I appreciated, too, how Zarr gives us just enough of the other competing challenges in Jenna's life without making them huge issues. There's religion, social/peer acceptance, dating, adjusting to a new family situation, her weight and body image issues, her tendency for petty theft sometimes (of food, contributing to her weight/body image issues) and hell, even learning how to drive and gain independence from that family/social pressure all packed into this short book. But the focus never sways too far away. These things only help build Jenna. They don't define her.

This was a real story of friendship and how it shifts and changes. Even though the last chapter felt a tiny bit lesson-y on that topic, I liked it. Zarr has a way with words and feelings, and I think this one ranks up close to "How to Save a Life" for me in how much I responded to it.