About this item
In the vein of The Way I Used to Be and Kelly Loy Gilbert's Conviction, this heartbreaking yet hopeful young adult novel follows a girl's struggle to reconcile friendship, sexual abuse, and the secrets we bury deep down inside to survive.High school freshman Emma Clark harbors a secret - a secret so vile it could implode her whole world, a secret she's managed to keep buried...until the day her best friend, Hannah, accuses Emma's father of a heinous crime. Following her father's arrest and torn between loyalty to Hannah and to her family, Emma is devastated to learn she must testify against Hannah's word in order to keep her family together. As Emma wrestles with this impossible decision, her fractured past begins to resurface piece by painful piece - causing the line to blur between her present-day reality and the dark fairy tales she writes to survive, all of which threaten to expose Emma's long-buried truths.
About the Author
CASSIE GUSTAFSON writes gritty, psychological YA novels that include mystery, suspense, and trauma. She holds an MFA in Writing for Young Adults from Hollins University and an MA in English Literature from Cal State Fullerton. A New England transplant, she spends her time globe-trotting with her adventurous husband, Carl, wandering old cemeteries in her quaint coastal town, or - when the wind shifts in the right direction - trying to write with an overly talkative cat named Maui in her lap. Cassie's interests include hunting for sea glass, shooting archery, decorating cupcakes, creating stained glass art, and obsessing over all things Halloween.
