I have read a lot of Sarah Dessen in the past year, but apparently this was her first novel. I was drawn into the book immediately, but I have to admit to expecting it to turn into something of a romance. It doesn't...I think I liked that about it. It was about finding yourself and realizing that not everything is as perfect as it seems from your point of view. Sometimes when you step back and look at things from another angle, you see they're not that great after all. And though the main character doesn't go through any romance, you get to see how much a broken heart hurts in those around her. I think this is a great story for 14-17 year olds, especially girls.