Amy, a seventeen year-old from California, believes that the car accident that killed her father is her fault. Months later, still emotionally paralyzed from the trauma, she is asked by her mother to meet in Connecticut. Roger, the son of a family friend, has been recruited to help get Amy to the east coast. An initially tentative friendship quickly deepens and eventually forms into romance between the two as they extend their cross-country adventure. While there are some pacing issues, and other minor quibbles (cream soda is much more available in the author's mind than in reality!), this is a sweet, contemporary, and quite relatable story of growth into young adulthood. Both main characters are largely likable, and a conclusion that neither ties up everything neatly, nor demands a sequel, is appreciated. --Todd Krueger
Aptly titled, this Australian tale of unlikely friendship and first romance oozes with the sort of bittersweet yearning experienced so fully by young people. Two teen girls alternate telling the story of their interactions and the ways they change each other during a summer in a small town outside Melbourne. Music metaphors flow from shy, lonely, private Charlie's narrations while bluntly disillusioned Rose tells it straight up. Complete with a perfect guy ("worth writing songs about") and wild off-road Australian scenery.
