by K. L. Aspden, Louise Michelle Bombèr, Charlotte Portier-Tock
First published 2019
Sixteen-year-old Mara Chen runs an unauthorized teen therapy practice from her family's garage, armed with psychology books and raw empathy. When a client reveals a dangerous family secret, Mara realizes her amateur counseling could have catastrophic consequences. Her own unresolved trauma starts bleeding into her sessions, forcing her to confront the emotional landmines in her own life. As pressure mounts from her skeptical parents and increasingly complex client needs, Mara must decide whether her compassion is enough to help—or if she'll cause more harm than healing. A razor-sharp exploration of teenage resilience and the messy boundaries of care.
Genres: psychology, mental-health, contemporary, adolescence, young-adult, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
66 pages · Kindle Edition · Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Content warnings: mental-illness