by Sarah Dessen
First published 2004
Caitlin O'Koren has always lived in her perfect older sister's shadow. When her sister runs away with a boyfriend, Caitlin watches her mother fall apart while her father retreats into indifference. Searching for her own identity, Caitlin meets Rogerson Biscoe, a wealthy rebel with dreadlocks and an intense demeanor. His world feels refreshingly different from everything she knows. Rogerson introduces Caitlin to new friends and brings out sides of herself she never knew existed. When she learns a terrible secret from his past, it draws them closer together, revealing his intelligence and sensitivity beneath the troublemaker reputation. But that same secret eventually unleashes a darker side of Rogerson that Caitlin has never seen. Trapped in love and caught in cycles of intimidation she cannot break, Caitlin desperately hopes someone will notice her situation and offer help, because she cannot seem to help herself escape.
Genres: romance, contemporary, young-adult, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
260 pages · Kindle Edition · Puffin
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence, toxic-relationship