Bookverdict.com

Gr 9 Up—This richly satisfying debut defies simple description. On its surface, it is about teenage best friends, a boy and a girl, who have complicated and messy feelings. Friends since they were six, the teens have grown up doors apart, both in single-parent families in Wilmington, North Carolina. What sets this novel apart is the way the youth are allowed to speak for themselves in all their chaotic, exciting complexity. Althea, who has anger issues, is in love with Oliver, which would be complicated enough even if Oliver didn't seem to be a mod...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Prickly teenager Althea's more passive best friend Oliver develops a sleeping disorder. While she desires a romantic relationship with him, O...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

A beguiling, original, and refreshingly unidealized story about falling—or not falling—for a close friend. In precise and evocative language, Cristina Moracho captures the complications and confusions of teenage (and all) relationships. In Althea and Oliver’s case, the angst is amplified by their longtime friendship, exemplified in an early scene in which Althea has a momentous revelation: “She’d only had a couple of beers but was acting drunker th...Log In or Sign Up to Read More