Leftovers by Laura Wiess

Back Cover:

Blair and Ardith are best friends who has committed an unforgivable act in the name of love and justice. But in order to understand what could drive two young women to such extreme measures, first you'll have to understand why. You'll have to listen as they descride parents who are alternately absent and smothering, classmates who mock and shun anyone different, and young men who are allowed to hurt and dominate without consequence. You will have to learn what it's like to be a teenage girl who locks her bedroom door at night, who has been written off by the adults around her as damaged goods. A girl who has no one to trust except the one person she's forbidden to see. You'll have to understand what it's like to be forgotten and abandoned in America today.

Are you ready?

Review:

Blair & Ardith. Two life friends telling a two-perspective story, from the transition of junior high--which ends with ninth grade, allegedly--to the battle that is high school. There is intent and there are consequences, and in the story you will learn how to get one done and take "precautions" against the other. Unlike Such a Pretty Girl, I did not read all of Leftovers--actually I skipped a good chunk of the middle section of the book, only to look back on the crucial details. But, also unlike Red-headed Stepchild, I did it--not because I couldn't wait till the end, though that was part of it the reason, but--because the frustration and confliction between the main characters were weighing me down.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to any hard-steel YA readers, though it has a bit of sexual content--but you kind of have to be prepared for some emotional baggage, you know? The author--Laura Wiess--was undoubtedly brilliant in catching the essence of the characters--every last one of them. If you thought Such a Pretty Girl--if you've read it that is--was spectacular, then I would recommend this novel/story in a heartbeat.

Grade: B

LiLi