Etta doesn’t want a lot—she wants to do well in school and ultimately become a chef. But when her father’s mental state begins slipping again, and he starts collecting signs from in front of buildings and houses and bringing them home instead of looking for a job, she has to become the responsible one, making sure bills get paid and that there’s food for her parents to eat.
While she’s worrying about whether all of the signs her father is bringing home are going to cause issues with their neighbors—or even the police—she’s utterly unprepared for the attentions of Jordan, a popular, wealthy classmate whose friends often insult Etta and her best friend, Nessa.
Etta can’t understand why someone like Jordan would be interested in her but his attention seems genuine. But as her father’s condition worsens, Jordan starts disappearing from school and won’t explain what’s going on. When she discovers he’s lying to her and avoiding her, she realizes he must have a secret he feels he can’t confide in her. But isn’t she doing the same with him?
“I’ll never understand why we cover up pain and hide it from the ones we love. Being ashamed of fear and pain has got to be the stupidest human emotion we have.”
Taking place in the late 1980s, this book had a little bit of a Pretty in Pink-type feel in the rich/poor thing but it was a story all its own, full of rich emotion, loyal friends, and characters you root for. I love that Carrie Beamer didn’t take the easy way out with the plot, making it a story worth savoring.
Thanks so much to Carrie Beamer for the complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!! It was wonderful, and I can’t wait to read her other one.
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