How I Lost You

May 13, 2013
Gurtler (Who I Kissed) examines how unconditional loyalty between friends can sometimes lead to unhealthy self-sacrifice. Seventeen-year-old Grace and her best friend Kya have always put each other first, bonded by a chilling secret from Kya's past, as well as a mutual love of paintball. Forgiving Kya for her sometimes selfish and destructive behavior has always come naturally to Grace, in light of Kya's past trauma, but when Grace meets a cute, reliable guy named Levi, finding a balance between making excuses for her best friend and pursuing a budding love interest becomes challenging. Kya's recklessness causes problems for both girls; she makes them miss an important practice and acts inappropriately at another critical paintball event. Gurtler gracefully negotiates the powerful emotions that accompany a changing friendship and brings the game of paintball to life with fascinating detail. Readers may tire of Kya's antics before Grace finally takes a stand, but they'll understand the difficulty of moving on from a toxic relationship that once felt like it would last forever. Ages 13âup. Agent: Jill Corcoran, the Herman Agency.

April 15, 2013
Seventeen-year-old Grace and her best friend Kya are inseparable, and they plan to keep it that way by using their mad paintball skills (yes, paintball) to make the all-women team at Seattle University. At least that's what Grace thought the plan was. But the closer the girls get to realizing their dream, the more Kya begins to unravel. Knowing that her friend carries scars from a secret past, Grace risks everything to try and save Kya from herself. With so many "buds before studs" novels out there to choose among, Grace and Kya's story fails to distinguish itself. It's difficult to root for the duo when their friendship never seems worth the fight to begin with. Readers must rely on Grace's word that there was a time that she and Kya shared a meaningful and reciprocal relationship, since it's difficult to find evidence of it in any of the book's 28 chapters. Manipulative and self-destructive from the start, Kya never shows any true affection for Grace. Surely, what happened to Kya was terrible, but while Grace uses it as an excuse for her best friend's destructive and hurtful behavior, readers will find themselves rooting alongside a host of more appealing secondary characters for Grace to wise up before it's too late. This friendship story fizzles. (Fiction. 14 & Up)

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July 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Best friends Kya and Grace hope to make the Lady Grinders paintballing team in college. Rarely does anything come between them, but then Kya finds that drugs and alcohol make her feel better and help her forget the dark secret that she shares with very few people. Grace, the narrator, tries to keep Kya moving in a positive direction, even making excuses for her until she feels herself being dragged under the weight of her friend's destructive habits. This is a relatable story about nurturing a friendship, and it's not every day that teens will have the chance to read about paintballing. The lesson that Grace learns is a good one, and the strong female characters are a plus, but many readers will not wade through the details to get to the resolution.-Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2013
Grades 8-12 Buds Before Studs. Sisters Before Misters. That's the mantra repeated by best friends Grace and Kya. But the two couldn't be more different; in spite of a shared love of playing paintball, and a desire to join the all-women's team at Seattle University, Kya has a painful past, and it's causing her to make poor decisions. This means one boy after the next, boozy nights, and letting Grace down time and again. And Grace takes it time and again. Eventually, Grace has to make the difficult decision many teens face: stick by your friend no matter what or finally prioritize your own needs and wants. While the do what's right for you message feels a bit heavy-handed at times, and readers may have trouble identifying what it is Grace sees in manipulative Kya, the novel explores female friendships in a thought-provoking way. The paintball plotline adds a unique angle, as does the presence of a third close friend who happens to be a guy. There's no hurt quite like best friend hurt, and that's something Gurtler captures well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)