by Carrie Arcos
Rachel's brother Micah has vanished into the drug underworld, and she blames herself for covering up his addiction for so long. Now she refuses to give up on him. She teams up with Tyler, one of Micah's friends, to comb through Ocean Beach's grittiest neighborhoods. They move from one dealer's corner to another, following thin leads and dead ends. Rachel faces the question that haunts every family member of an addict: how do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved? As day stretches into night, Rachel encounters the harsh realities of street life and addiction. The search forces her to confront uncomfortable truths about her brother, herself, and the limits of love. By dawn, Rachel's understanding of the world has shifted forever.
Genres: addiction, mystery, contemporary, young-adult, realistic-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Ocean Beach
Paperback
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use, mental-illness