ya contemporary

Tag

What I Lost — Alexandra Ballard

Elizabeth is proud of the forty pounds she's lost; after a lifetime of seeking her figure-obsessed mother's approval and failing to find it, she feels like she's finally what her mother has always wanted - even if she's not what her ex-boyfriend wants anymore. The ride is only beginning, when Elizabeth is packed up and sent off to a treatment center for girls with eating disorders. At the center, she must learn to come to terms with not only her own ghosts, but those of her beloved mother, as well. Things aren't all bad, though - Elizabeth finds new friends, comfort in her therapist, and most unexpected of all, packages from a secret admirer.

Aftercare Instructions — Bonnie Pipkin (ARC Review)

Genesis did everything she could to prepare for the abortion, but nothing could steady her for how it would feel to walk out into an empty waiting room, without so much as a good-bye text from the boyfriend who left her there: alone, wounded, and sixty miles from home. He won't answer his phone, and rumors are flying that he's already moved on to her former best friend, Vanessa.

Living as a seventeen-year-old with a deceased father and an emotionally absent mother, life hasn't been easy, but this form of grief is all new territory for Gen, and she's going to have to find healing in any way she can get it: even if it means returning to the stage she never thought she'd have the strength to face again.

We Are Okay — Nina LaCour

Winter break has come, and while everyone else has gone home to see families and significant others for a few weeks, Marin would be perfectly content to stay in her dorm room, alone with her grief, pretending that her life from before doesn't exist anymore. Life is never quite that simple, though, and Mabel is coming to visit, shoving her way into Marin's after. Marin has a lot of skeletons in her closet that need to be faced, but can she handle letting go of her denial long enough to heal - and to move forward with Mabel?

Internet Famous — Danika Stone

Offline, Madison Nakama’s life is difficult, at best. First, there’s the mother who randomly leaves to jet halfway across the world for new teaching jobs, leaving her family in shambles without remorse. Then, there’s her father, Charles: the famous writer, whose entire focus in life revolves around keeping their family’s reputation scot-free and away from the careful scrutiny of his conservative readers. Last, there’s Sarah: Madison’s younger sister, who depends on her to keep a strict routine, as well as acting as Sarah’s primary caretaker.

Online, however, things are easy: Madison becomes Madi, creator and owner of the famous pop culture blog MadLibs, where she attracts countless followers and carries on intimate online friendships.

Paperweight — Meg Haston

When Stevie is admitted against her will to a rehab for her eating disorder, she sees it as nothing more than a temporary setback. Her loving father and the hippie shrink, with all of their good intentions, aren't enough to take away the fact that there are only 27 days left until the anniversary of Stevie's older brother's death. There are only 27 days left until the anniversary of the night she killed him.

There are only 27 days left until she repays that debt with her own life.