Last Chance Summer

May 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-Alex is known for making poor, even illegal choices. When she steals a cop car and goes joyriding with her boyfriend, they end up in a lake. This particular error in judgment gets Alex grounded indefinitely by her father, the town sheriff. But it doesn't stop her from getting fed up and sneaking out of her house to go to a party with her best friend, Nikki. When the police arrive at the party, the teens flee by car, but Nikki, drunk, is killed in an accident that also injures Alex. Devastated at the loss of her best friend and failing her senior year of high school, Alex has a terrible attitude at home and refuses to see her counselor for productive therapy sessions. An ultimatum arrives, and Alex finds herself working as a camp counselor in Texas. There she meets her co-counselor, Grant, who is gorgeous but annoying. Klare's book is filled with compelling characters in an engaging plot. The subsequent romance between Grant and Alex has many ups and downs due to her emotional state, but his own troubled background makes him a convincing fit. VERDICT While the story wraps up too quickly and optimistically, this is an enjoyable read for fans of contemporary romance.-Nicole Detter-Smith, Homestead High School, IN

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