Dance-team prestige, loyal friends, affluent Seattle family--Coley, 15, seems to have it all, but her sunny persona hides a private, nighttime dread. Coley's blossoming romance with Reece makes it harder to separate those worlds, and her gift for walling off the unpleasant--like the rift with her longtime best friend, Alejandra--isn't working. With her overprotective mother and stepfather, ally and troubled older brother, Bryan, and younger triplet half siblings, Coley feels smothered, not safe. When Reece is permitted to join the family ski trip to Whistler, B.C., Coley finds that her childhood strategy of quiet endurance, rather than preventing the abuse, enables it to escalate. What makes this more than another "problem" novel is the author's steadfast refusal to deal in stereotypes and easy answers. Coley's more than the victim of sexual abuse--just as her abuser is more than a collection of abusive behaviors. Who we are and what we do are different things. Oversimplifying character motivations would have made this a less harrowing read but also a less powerful one. Unraveling her thicket of tangled emotions is a confusing and painful journey for Coley, but the bedrock truth she uncovers sustains her: Freedom from molestation is a human right. Required reading for anyone who's ever wondered "why didn't they just tell someone?" (resources [not seen]) (Fiction. 14 & up)

Fifteen-year-old Coley must navigate new waters with her first boyfriend while simultaneously dealing with scars of sexual abuse. Scott's sensitive treatment of the subject is adept, as is her portrayal of Coley as a conflicted and multifaceted member of her blended family. Pacing, characterization, and suspense work seamlessly to both surprise readers and evoke empathy in this poignant tale.

Dance-team prestige, loyal friends, affluent Seattle family--Coley, 15, seems to have it all, but her sunny persona hides a private, nighttime dread. Coley's blossoming romance with Reece makes it harder to separate those worlds, and her gift for walling off the unpleasant--like the rift with her longtime best friend, Alejandra--isn't working. With her overprotective mother and stepfather, ally and troubled older brother, Bryan, and younger triplet half siblings, Coley feels smothered, not safe. When Reece is permitted to join the family ski trip to Whistler, B.C., Coley finds that her childhood strategy of quiet endurance, rather than preventing the abuse, enables it to escalate. What makes this more than another "problem" novel is the author's steadfast refusal to deal in stereotypes and easy answers. Coley's more than the victim of sexual abuse--just as her abuser is more than a collection of abusive behaviors. Who we are and what we do are different things. Oversimplifying character motivations would have made this a less harrowing read but also a less powerful one. Unraveling her thicket of tangled emotions is a confusing and painful journey for Coley, but the bedrock truth she uncovers sustains her: Freedom from molestation is a human right. Required reading for anyone who's ever wondered "why didn't they just tell someone?" (resources [not seen]) (Fiction. 14 & up)

Gr 9 Up-Despite the chaos of a busy life (dance team, friend squabbles, a new boyfriend) and family life (a strict stepfather, younger siblings, and an older brother, Bryan, who is floundering), Coley, 15, is working hard to act like everything is normal. What others can't see is that for years, Bryan has been molesting her. While the teen is confused and tormented by her relationship with him, she also feels protective of their friendship. Only Coley and Bryan, who feel like outsiders in their stepfather's home, know what it felt like to escape their abusive father and move from New Zealand to the United States. Her shame over not hating her brother and the resulting emotional complications in her relationship with her crush finally prove too much for her to handle. Coley takes tentative steps toward healing, reaching out to friends and family to help her. Scott does not reduce the complexity of the situation and Coley's emotions to a simple solution. Dramatic without melodrama, this title respectfully examines incest and sexual abuse. Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA