by Ester Wier
First published 1988
The protagonist faces daily obstacles that test their resolve and character. Small setbacks threaten to derail bigger dreams, while family expectations clash with personal desires. Each chapter reveals how rushing toward goals often creates more problems than it solves. The main character learns that steady progress beats frantic effort. Friends offer advice that sometimes helps and sometimes makes things worse. School, home, and social pressures mount as decisions loom larger. The story follows one person's discovery that taking things step by step leads to better outcomes than forcing quick fixes. At its heart, this is about finding your own pace in a world that always wants you to hurry up.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, steady-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
126 pages · Hardcover · Random House BFYR