Gr 7 Up-Former mean girl Nikki Baylor deserves a second chance. She is shunned for her role in cyberbullying a former schoolmate (scandalous photos of the girl were posted on Nikki's Facebook page on her laptop at her home in Ocean Isle, NJ). Nikki's parents cannot look her in the eye and focus more on her younger sister and sole household ally, Emma. She feels extremely alone until she meets Matty "Pax" Paxton, a strong-willed, stubborn, and hot wheelchair rugby player. He knows what it is like to rebound from a life-changing car accident. Pax gives her compassion, understanding, solace, friendship, and unconditional love. Nikki also meets and befriends Sam, a bullying survivor and aspiring singer. With friendship and support from Pax and Sam, the teen learns to be more self-confident and forgiving. Cozzo has created a well-written YA novel featuring a main character with a disability. Pax is the voice of reason who accepts Nikki for herself and helps her transform from a mean girl into a sympathetic young woman. Cozzo does not shy away from Pax's reality as a young man who has to deal with urinary tract infections, catheters, and limitations in certain locations. Cozzo never takes on a preachy or pitying tone when describing Pax's disability. Pax and Nikki's love story is natural and gradual and feels authentic to the teen experience. VERDICT Recommended for readers who appreciate tales filled with redemption and forgiveness and positive portrayals of teens and young adults with disabilities. Donald Peebles, New York Black Librarians Caucus

Nikki's senior year was supposed to be filled with parties, friends, and college plans; however, she has been expelled from her school and shunned by her friends over a horrible mistake. Even though she was not alone, the photos were uploaded to her Facebook account, thereby indicting her alone in the cyberbullying scandal. As she searches for redemption, she meets Pax, who is bound to a wheelchair because of his own mistakes. Pax becomes the one person who is willing to forgive Nikki's past and teaches her that she is not defined by her mistakes. Nikki begins to move forward and believe in second chances.This novel is a mixture of "too good to be true" and unlikeable characters in a story that tries to tackle too many issues at once. Nikki takes very little responsibility for her actions and instead focuses mostly on the negative effects on her life. She often comes off as whiny with unredeemable qualities, which makes her relationship with Pax even more unlikely. His character is typically giving preposterous motivational speeches that are overly dramatic, making him hard to connect with since his behavior is so unrealistic. However, the relationship between Nikki and her parents superbly shows raw emotion that walks the fine line between disappointment and unconditional love. Ultimately, the book misses a great opportunity for a true redemption story.Blake Norby.