Description:
Set at a high school in contemporary Australia, this young adult novel is a love triangle with several twists. Nearly 16 years old, Rowanna is a nice kid with a tough (and secret) background. When we meet her, she's still coming to terms with several facts: that her mother was gay, that her mother was killed by a drunk driver, and that she now lives with her mother's partner--a woman it's taken her years to stop hating. At school she's best buddies with Mark, the school hunk (whose secret is that he gets beaten up by his father). Mark falls for the new kid, gorgeous Jodie, who could have any guy in the school. Jodie seems to like Mark well enough; but her secret is... well, she has fallen in love with Rowanna. Throw in Jodie's adorable brother, plus the razor-nailed Selina, and you have the elements of a truly Shakespearean plot. Although author Sue Hines writes in alternating sections from alternating points of view, her own voice comes through too strongly, especially at the preachy "everyone's just fine the way they are" ending. Nonetheless, this is a well-constructed, engaging story and a good book to put into the hands of any teen confused about love, life, and sexual orientation (their own or anyone else's). --Richard Farr
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