First published 2017
Wendy Boychuck watches her Chicago police officer father get arrested for criminal activities right outside their home. With him facing years behind bars, her family struggles financially while neighbors whisper about the scandal. After getting attacked walking home from a party, Wendy decides she needs to build her own reputation to escape her father's shadow. She finds her answer in Kenzie Quintana, a bold girl who smokes cigarettes and rolls up her Catholic school uniform skirt. Kenzie becomes Wendy's ticket into the most powerful clique at Academy of the Sacred Heart, alongside mean girls Sapphire and Emily. The makeover works, but Wendy discovers that her new identity comes with a steep price. She must navigate the shallow cruelty of toxic friendships and the constant pressure of maintaining her new image, all while facing a loss that threatens to destroy more than just her carefully constructed facade.
Genres: coming-of-age, contemporary, young-adult, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-climbing
Setting: Chicago, Academy of the Sacred Heart
Period: contemporary
363 pages · Hardcover · Quill Tree Books
Content warnings: abuse