Alex is starting her senior year of high school. She is still trying to cope with the mysterious accidental death of her mother many years ago and her father who is emotionally distant and hardly talks to her.

Her best friends from childhood, Zach and Bethany have been her support and lifeline as she has struggled to accept her mother’s death and that her mother was not running away from her when she died.

Things are looking up when Alex is asked to tutor the new student Cole who is so gorgeous and nice and seems to understand her in a way that no one else has.

As Alex’s relationship with Cole progresses there are signs of physical and verbal abuse which her friends, sister and co-workers recognize. Alex feels like it is her fault and she deserves to be abused and tries even harder to make her relationship work. Then one day after work Cole is waiting outside for Alex and physically abuses her to where she doesn’t know if she will live or not. Her boss sees it happening and intervenes.

Now she starts her long road to recovery with the help of her family and friends.

Even though this is a very serious subject the author has approached it in a way that allows you to feel many emotions while reading it.

359 pages

Recommended by Joleen Walters, Librarian Idaho