by Andrew Smith
First published 2015
Ryan Dean West faces his senior year at Pine Mountain boarding school carrying the weight of his friend Joey's death. His rugby coach assigns him Joey's old position as stand-off and team captain, roles that remind him daily of his loss. He shares a dorm room with Sam Abernathy, a twelve-year-old freshman who cooks, suffers from severe claustrophobia, and has developed feelings for Annie Altman, Ryan Dean's girlfriend. Ryan Dean's usual coping mechanism of drawing and doodling no longer provides comfort. He believes N.A.T.E., the Next Accidental Terrible Experience, waits around every corner. When he encounters Nico, Joey's younger brother, Ryan Dean becomes convinced that Nico thinks he's being avoided. The pressure from rugby responsibilities, relationship complications, and grief over Joey's death threatens to overwhelm him. Ryan Dean must navigate these challenges while questioning whether he can recover his mental stability during this crucial final year.
Genres: grief, contemporary, adolescence, sports, boarding-school, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Pine Mountain
401 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Content warnings: mental-illness