This coming-of-age young adult novel dives into the lives of six teenagers who have been friends since childhood. As they enter high school, they begin to drift apart in different classes and activities. When they awkwardly reunite after school dismisses for the summer, they discover how their lives have changed, and they learn about the serious issues some of them have been facing. As they work through their personal crises together, their friendship is strengthened. The stories addressed in this novel revolve around alcoholism, the loss of a parent, the dangers of the internet, drugs, parent separation, depression, stranger danger, and the Witness Protection Program (WITSEC). They are dramatically brought to life in the backdrop of Raleigh, North Carolina, the capital city. In addition to drama, however, the group does have some fun. They play baseball, attend a car race, play with dogs, enjoy Friendship Park, navigate budding romances, and host a very special party, each event with its own special twist.
Twins CeCe and Bo Rosetti, Mickey O'Rourke, Jeremy Cooper, Maria Suarez, and Leah Scneider are diverse in their cultures and personalities, but despite their differences, their friendship always worked, no matter what they faced. They socialized, learned about each other and their different cultures, laughed and cried together, and always had each other's backs. But recently, Leah has grown even farther from the group as she begins experimenting with new endeavors, and the promises they made to each other as children, that they would be BFFs forever, are put to a serious test. When Leah, in her oblivion of danger, is suddenly kidnapped by human traffickers, the rest of the group must decide if they are willing to go behind their parents' backs and put their lives in danger to rescue her. The events in this book are honest, realistic, and at times, raw, because life is sometimes raw.
The characters narrate this novel, providing insight into themselves and into each other in the process, weaving them into distinct and recognizable people. Offering six different points of view and several subplots is unique to the book, but the main, and most important, plot involves the global, dangerous world of human trafficking. You will be able to see yourselves or some of your friends in this page-turner.
