SOLVED. YA Schoolbook - Pond’s Cold Cream, a Dead Mother, and possibly Florida. Spoilers. [s]

[Angel]

There was this book I remember reading a long time ago and I want to find. I think I read it in middle school, so between 2001-2008. Here are some details:

-the main character works at a mall (I think)
-the main character has a grandparent at a retirement home
-one of the character's friends goes in for a drug test and fails, and says he never smoked weed, but probably got some smoke in his lungs while driving with his stoner friends
-the main character remembers her mom always smelled a certain way, and one year recognizes the smell on her teacher, who tells her it's Cold Cream
-the girl's mother died in a robbery at her father's (video?) store, which the father paid to have robbed because they were broke. he never intended for the mother to die
-the girl puts this together and then, while wearing makeup to look like her mom (I don't think she was allowed to wear makeup ever) and wearing her mom's perfume, gets her father to admit it

[Ayshe]

Ponds Cold Cream seems to be from The Secret Life of Bees: https://books.google.com/books?id=AOX... I don't know if the rest fits though.

[Andria]

I don't think it's Secret Life of Bees unless the OP is conflating two titles. The MC of Bees killed her mother accidentally during a domestic violence situation.

[Andria]

I *think* this might be Crusader

[[deleted user]]

neither of these match. thanks though

[[deleted user]]

Thanks for your suggestions. They, however, aren't what I was looking for.

[Andria]

Bert - was Angel posting on your behalf? Only the OP can confirm/deny

[Angel]

Oh my god, the Cold Cream part is definitely from Secret Life of Bees. Either I mixed up details in my head or the author made a reference. I’ll keep looking!

[Andria]

There is a scene in Crusader where the MC uses cold cream to take off the makeup that, while she was wearing it, her father walked in and saw her, realized that she looked like her dead mother, his dead wife.

It's also set in Florida and the MC works at her father's arcade in a mall.

[Angel]

It is 100% Crusader. Thank you so much for helping me find this book!!! I’m so excited to reread it.

[Andria]

Yay! You're welcome, glad I could help.

[Ayshe]

Is the part about mother's death spoiler? If so, I suggest adding spoiler alert to thread's title.

[Andria]

Good point, Ayshe. Thanks for catching that. I added a spoiler alert.

[Angel]

I know, I forgot to add it and idk how to edit it in the app. Although the mother’s death is in the book’s description, so...