Allison doesn't remember the accident that presumably killed her boyfriend. She does, however, remember all too well the beatings and verbal abuse she received from him, and which she knows he learned from his bully of a father. Now that her own father has retired from the army, Allie, 18, has had to return to the same school she attended before the accident, and so she must put up with the stares and nasty remarks other students fling her way about her popular boyfriend's death and her possible culpability. Wolf's first foray into the world of mean teens, credibly flawed parents, and romance is highly textured, if uneven. The romances cluding one between Allie and the town's bad boy and another between her twin brother (who has severe cerebral palsy) and a hot chick who comes out of nowhere fer a fine contrast of characters and relationships; we are told too often, however, about how everyone else feels about the twins' partners rather than shown the possibilities for character growth. There is plenty of both emotional and physical excitement here, though, and Wolf is a writer worth watching.

Gr 7 Up-Eighteen-year-old Allie's life changes in an instant when her boyfriend, Trip Phillips, drives off a cliff in small-town Pacific Cliffs. Allie survives the wreck but wishes her secret would have died with him. She is haunted by the fact that Trip was physically and emotionally abusive. She can't remember that fatal night but is sure that the incident wasn't an accident. Maybe her twin brother was trying to protect her from Trip's abuse, or maybe it was her best friend, Blake. Regardless, the case is reopened as suspicious circumstances begin to emerge, and Allie must relive that night and find the courage to speak up about the abuse even though she fears that no one will believe her. Teens will be consumed by the mystery, and romantics will hope that Allie and Blake can make it even though it seems that the town is against them. The author has done a good job of helping readers understand the accident as it is told in flashbacks yet intertwined with present-day events. The story unfolds in a convincing manner; nothing is left open-ended, which leaves readers sure that Allie is no longer in turmoil, and that she has moved forward. Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI

Ever since her boyfriend, Trip, died after a tragic car accident, Allie has felt guilty--not only because she doesn't remember the accident, but also because she is secretly relieved to be free of Trip's abusive control over her. This debut novel offers an effective blend of mystery and romance, as Allie convincingly tries to remember the past in order to bury it.