Lauren Saft's debut novel exposes the psychology of a codependent trio of friends at a wealthy all-girl school in suburban Philadelphia.
Readers get to know 16-year-old Alexandra Holbrook, Mollie Finn and Veronica Collins through their alternating first-person narratives. Alex and Mollie have been friends since kindergarten at Harwin. Veronica didn't arrive until fifth grade and still feels like the interloper. Alex is also "best friends" with Drew, who attends Harwin's brother school, Crawford. Secretly, Alex is in love with Drew; she is the only virgin of the three-way friendship. Mollie is obsessed with Sam, her football-star boyfriend and the most sought-after guy at Crawford. Veronica savors the attention she gets from guys, mainly because of her reputation for giving them what they want. The dynamics change swiftly and dramatically when Alex joins a band, and Drew and Veronica start dating. Then Veronica starts surreptitiously sleeping with Sam--betraying both Mollie and Drew.
Saft starts with surface impressions--the persona that each teen displays--then reveals their motives, their insecurities and their humanity. They keep so many secrets when all they really want is to be able to count on their friends' loyalty. When two of the friends gang up on the third to exact revenge, it nearly results in tragedy and serves as the wake-up call they need. Saft uses strong language and graphic sexual situations to convey living, breathing teens. This is a beachtime page-turner likely to grab some adult fans, too. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness