Jodie Esch

Rachel has an absentee mother and fails to fully appreciate the loving, supportive family that surrounds her. As a result, she lies constantly as a way to cope with feelings of loneliness. When she begins chatting online with a stranger, who she thinks is a high school student, another layer of teen naïveté is explored, as teens often engage in dangerous behaviors even though they know better. I really like how the plot line with the online "boyfriend" was executed, and I appreciate that Esch never took things over the top. All of Rachel's thoughts and actions were believable, as was her relationship with best friend Steph. This is a quick, clean read that touches on issues many teens experience, including feelings of abandonment, loneliness, low self-esteem and creepy Internet encounters. Despite all of the serious topics this book covers, it offers several heartwarming moments and ends on a positive note. I look forward to reading more of Esch's work.… (mais)