Camille Noe Pagán's engaging debut novel offers a vision of "what might have been" for timid Marissa Rogers. Marissa is an editor for Svelte, a women's health magazine, whose readers are, not surprisingly, more interested in celebrity diets than they are in health issues. At the beginning of the novel, Marissa's longtime friend Julia Ferrar--whose assertive nature has always complemented Marissa's diffidence--is hit by a car and suffers a traumatic brain injury that drastically modifies her personality. While some of the side effects Julia experiences--minor memory loss, a higher-pitched voice and a fixation on all things purple--are relatively innocuous, others churn up memories from Marissa's past that she would rather forget, including the ex-boyfriend she gave up at Julia's request.
Pagán's dialogue is punctuated with piquant wit and snappy pop culture references, resulting in an upbeat, inspirational novel that tackles the serious topic of traumatic brain injury with warmth and sincerity while avoiding preachiness. At the heart of Marissa's transformation is her evolution from reluctant volunteer for Take the Lead--an organization inspired by the real Girls on the Run--into a confident woman, grateful for the lessons she learns from the girls she is meant to be teaching. Marissa discovers she has the power to be the self-confident woman she once saw in her best friend. Fans of Elizabeth Berg are sure to enjoy this exciting new voice. --Sarah Borders, librarian, Houston Public Library